Dangerous Tides
by msmadelineclancy
Summary: Titanic AU. Katherine is the kind of girl Ned's mother never wanted him to get involved with. An unlikely love on the doomed maiden voyage to RMS Titanic. COMPLETE
1. Departure - April 10th, 1912

_**April 10th, 1912 - 11:45 am**_

As the chaos of the Southampton harbor came into view, Ned felt his heart sink into his stomach. The reality of his future was finally setting in.

His mother beamed with excitement at him. The reality of his future was finally setting in with his mother as well.

They were going to the United States of America.

Ned wiped his sweaty palms on the sides of his pants as he gazed out the window. The car they rode in maneuvered slowly through the dense crowd of people – most of whom were there to see the great ship off.

The RMS Titanic

As the massive beast appeared before them, he expected to feel some kind of thrill or even amazement at such a glorious achievement of mankind. Instead, he felt like he had persuaded – no, forced – to move to the States with his mother.

After Ned's father died, he was overcome with grief. His kind face, wise words, and gentle manners would only be his memory now.

His mother, on the other hand, was relieved. Relieved.

Ned always knew that his mother always hated the bakery business despite the fact that the family thrived on it. She felt that the Banks' were destined for something greater. So as soon as his father died, his mother managed to sell the bakery for a ridiculous amount of money and bought their way to the States. His two brothers were old enough to escape their mother's clutches and stay in England before their father died.

While Ned, only seventeen, was forced to go with her. His mother left no money for his brothers and instead bought a large home in New York. She was then going to send him to college. He would be the first of the Banks' to ever attend college. His mother had meticulously planned his future, binding him to her in a way that made it nearly impossible to break away.

According to her plan, he would become a wealthy businessman in New York, thus making enough money to support her and make the Banks name well-known among the upper-class society of New York City. The rebellious side of Ned often entertained the thought of running away once they docked in New York, but the true him, the compassionate and selfless part of him, knew he could never leave his mother like that despite the painful childhood he had endured because of her.

While to his mother Ned's future was bright and exciting, to him it was full of darkness and void of freedom. He wouldn't be surprised if she planned to marry him off to some rich girl either. That was probably the most difficult aspect of his future to bear.

Most boys his age would be thrilled with the idea of getting educated, making good money, and marrying some dumb and pretty, rich girl. But not him.

He enjoyed the quiet life back home.

The warm glow of the bakery. The early mornings he always spent with his father and brothers as long as he could remember. His father's bright smiles and wise words, his brothers wrestling in the living room.

It was all gone.

He doubted he would even see his brothers again. The car finally came to a stop by the ship. Ned forced my dark thoughts away and opened the door to let himself out.

The crowd of people had swelled. His eyes danced around, taking people's faces. Every single person was beaming, eyes sparkling as they gazed at the enormous ship at the dock. Passengers stood on the top deck waving to those below.

After the driver had opened the door for his mother and helped her out of the car, she gave the driver quick instructions for their luggage and began to make her way toward the first-class entrance of the ship. As they crossed the walkway that led from the dock into the ship, Ned peered over the edge to look at the water down below.

He shook his head in disbelief. It was amazing that such a boat like this could float. Yet, they called it the unsinkable ship.

He and his mother were escorted to their own suite and left to settle in. His maids began to unpack his things as he gawked at the luxury surrounding him. A bathroom with a tub, shower, and a double sitting room with a fireplace. A single bedroom with a gloriously large bed, a private promenade, and windows that looked out onto the sea.

Ned opened the small doors that lead out onto the deck. He felt the corners of his mouth tug upward at the thought of watching an ocean sunset out here. Maybe this voyage wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

Her sister's husband had spent every last bit of their money to buy the family tickets for a voyage on the Titanic. Katherine wrapped her arm around her sister and turned to find Melinda looking at her with a smile on her face that matched her own.

"I haven't seen you smile like that in a long time, Katie," Melinda said, pulling her along as a few men pushed their way by. "You better keep up with us." Her sister wrapped her arm around her husband and smiled up at the taller man.

Ever since their mother died three years prior, Katherine had been lost in a sea of darkness, hopelessly trying to find her way out. James was a good man, he'd really loved her sister. Enough to care for her kid sister after their mother died.

Now that it was just the three of them, James decided it would be best to try and make new lives for themselves in a completely different country. At first, Melinda was furious with him. How could he spend all of their money like that without telling her? How could he just assume that she would want to uproot their life and her sister to leave home? But after she calmed down, Melinda began to see sense in his plan.

They could all make a new name for themselves. They would be able to start fresh in the States and be a part of history by boarding Titanic on her maiden voyage.

For the first time in a long time, Katherine began to feel happiness swell in her chest, especially when she finally saw the ship. The smile on her face couldn't even begin to explain the excitement she felt. It was as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

She knew in that her heart that her mother would be thrilled for her. She would never want her to wallow in despair the rest of her life. She would want her to move on and be happy again. It took seeing so so glorious and majestic for her to finally accept that.

After James, Melinda and Katherine boarded the ship. They wandered around, trying to find their cabin in steerage. None of them were in a hurry, marveling at the luxury of the ship, even in the lower-class deck.

Once they had finally found their cabin, James put the small key in the door to unlock it and they settled in. Katherine took off the small satchel she'd kept tied around her waist since leaving home. There wasn't much in there, just her three favorite books and few personal effects that she had collected in her seventeen years on this earth.

There were a few select images of her parents and even one of her and her sister when they were just children, and an old silver locket that was once her mother's. Her mother said she wanted to give it to her when she got the fever and it was around her neck when she died. Katherine didn't have the heart to let it go, so she'd kept it with her always.

She decided against unpacking more and set her bag on the bed and satchel underneath her bunk but not before removing the locket and putting it safely around her neck.

She finally took a chance to look around. The cabin wasn't large, it was hardly meant to house three people, but with two single beds and trunks in front of them, it would suit them just fine. There was even a small cleaning room with a metal sink and tub, a luxury for most steerage passengers.

After settling in, her sister asked if she would like to go on the top deck. Katie nodded eagerly and they made their way back through the maze of hallways and stairwells until they finally found themselves in the open air.

In the time it had taken for them to find their room and settle in the ship had already left the harbor. Neither of them hadn't even felt it move. The sun shone brightly above them and warmed their skin as they raced their way to the railing at the back of the ship.

They ran past an older woman with a handsome man, one that must be her son. She caught his eye, and for a moment she thought he might actually have been looking at her until his mother did. The disgust found in the older woman's eyes forced the scowl on her face before she turned to Melinda.

"It's quite the view, isn't it?" Melinda asked, leaning against the railing with her arms outstretched. "The air is just so refreshing."

Katherine placed her hand over her sister, which rested on the railing. "It's wonderful," she reminded her with a bright smile.

They looked out onto the sea, and Melinda's mouth turned up into a smile. The clear blue sky reflected on the glassy surface of the ocean, the way sunlight glistened off of the waves was absolutely breathtaking. Katie closed her eyes and basked in the glory of the open sea. The sun-kissed her cheeks and the wind caressed her hair. She even could smell the salt in the air and to the propellers churn the water below them.

It was the most beautiful sight and smell she'd ever had the grace to see. She glanced back over at the man again, to watch him look away and she laughed, nudging her sister. "I bet that older woman is secretly in love her son," she snickered.

Melinda laughed, for the first time since their mother died at that moment. That sound was easily the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.

* * *

Eventually, Ned and his mother had made their way to the top deck. The wind was chilly, but the sun was warm. He took in a deep breath of the fresh ocean air. The open sea seemed to take his problems for the moment. Then all of his problems came crashing back as he felt his mother slip her arm through his.

They strolled along the deck, never getting too close to the railing. Ned desperately wanted to lean over it and feel the sea breeze tug at his coat and ruffle his hair. But his mother was always too nervous.

When he mentioned approaching the railing, she said, "One could too easily fall over, Ned. What if the ship jolted or you lost your balance?"

Even though he found her fear irrational, Ned didn't mention it again. Perhaps he would come back tonight and then he could finally have a minute to himself. Suddenly loud, quick footsteps pounded by him accompanied by a rush of laughter. His mother gasped but he stared at the pair who had run by them curiously.

It was two women, one of the girls was older, but not by much. The other girl had to be around his age, maybe her younger sister. Both had dark hair and appeared to be of the lower class. The older woman was dressed in a blue dress with a sparkling wedding ring on her finger. The other girl was giggling and wearing a faded green dress that hugged her waist in a way that immediately made him blush.

He continued to watch them as they leaned over the railing at the back of the ship, holding out their arms and letting the wind blow through their hair and clothes. He had a strong urge to join them, but his mother's voice chirped beside him, "What ill manners the lower class possesses. No regard for their superiors or for elegance."

He discreetly rolled her eyes. They had only recently become a part of the upper class. It astonished him how quickly his mother had seemed to forget that. Even though they'd always been in a good place, they were never rich by any means.

Ned looked over at the pair again just as the younger girl turned around. She was smiling the most brilliant smile he had ever seen. It made her eyes shine. A brown as beautiful as a honeycomb in her eyes that nearly knocked him off his feet. Her dark hair, which was pulled back out of her face and complemented her olive-toned skin.

He felt his pulse quicken. Suddenly those eyes met his and that brilliant smile that had so beautifully graced her face melted away into a scowl. Her brows knitted together, her eyes narrowed and her nose that was lightly spotted with freckles slightly wrinkled.

She didn't like that he was looking at her.

He quickly turned away, feeling as though he had destroyed any possibility of talking to her.

Why had she looked at him that way? Then it donned on him. The way he was dressed, the way his mother was dressed, and the way his mother was probably looking at this beautiful girl right now. She probably thought that he was looking down on her.

He chanced a look again, hoping that the look on his face was apologetic enough, but she had already directed her attention back to her companion who seemed to be making some sort of joke until realized as she gestured at him and that he must be the brunt of the joke,

His mother cleared her throat, directing her attention back to her. Her eyes flitted quickly between him and the girl. "There are prettier girls in New York, dear," his mother patted her hand on his arm. Suddenly a bugle began playing further down the deck, signaling that supper began in an hour. "Let us get ready for supper, darling. I heard the kitchen staff are roasting a few ducks," his mother said smoothing her dress and sticking her nose up ever so slightly.

Ned nodded and escorted his mother back to their suite, with the image of the girl smiling burned in his mind.


	2. Day One at Sea - April 10th, 1912

_**April 10th, 1912 - 4:45pm**_

Melinda and Katherine left the deck just after James came up for some fresh air as the Titanic had made its last stop off the coast of Queenstown, Ireland.

"I can see the Statue of Liberty already," James told them before stepping away from the railing. "It's very small of course," he added with a laugh.

James was from New York. That reminded her of when her sister had begun to tell her about the man she was falling in love with a few years ago. He'd come to England for school and had blown her sister away with his knowledge and love for books. Melinda was the librarian at his favorite place to study, mostly because then James got to see her. There was always a twinkle in her sister's eye when she'd said that to her.

Melinda and James married a year after they begun to see each other. When their mother died, Katherine, who was only fourteen at the time had moved to live with them.

"Katherine?" James' voice pulled her away from her thoughts. "Where did you go?"

"Nowhere," she whispered, shaking her head. "Don't worry."

James knew about all of this, of course, he was there. Melinda was his wife, after all. Neither of them talked about their mother much, but he just understood.

They followed the wave of our fellow third-class passengers to the lower decks. She learned that there were over a thousand of us, just traveling in third class. She couldn't imagine how many people the ship was carrying total. This ship was massive, there had to be at least a few thousand.

"Should we try and find something to eat?" He paused for a moment as he thought. "I heard some people talking. There's a bit of a get together in the general room. People celebrating."

"Well, let's go celebrate," Melinda said to him eagerly, ready to do something fun.

Navigating through the halls was nothing short of daunting. The passageway was extremely narrow with people littering both sides of it, trying to move their parties inside their cabins. The general room was full of people ranging from lone travelers to young couples to full families, the children chasing each other and playing games at their parents' feet. People from nearly every edge of Europe crowded in the inside of this ship.

And she could hear it in the confusing hodgepodge of accents and saw it in the host of differing features. As she was sweeping the crowd in front of her, she eyes caught on to a man staring at her and he grinned once he saw she'd noticed. The man was tall with wild red hair and a scruffy beard. Her heartbeat picked up just a bit when he started to make his way towards her, two tall glasses of amber liquid in his hands.

She didn't know what to say. She was almost old enough to drink. Almost. Her eighteen birthday was in the summer months.

Katherine looked at James over her shoulder and saw he'd noticed the man's advances as well, he crossed his arms over his chest and she rolled her eyes at his response. He was like her father, sometimes. Melinda distracted him was usually about to distract him before he got too involved, this time she positioned him to sit down on a stack of boxes as she claimed his lips in a kiss.

The man smiled when he finally made it to her, handing him one of the glasses and she just eyed it distrustfully once it's in her grasp. "Hello, miss." His accent was thick, Irish. "The name's Daniel."

"Hello. Is this any good?" The man was kind of handsome she supposed but in a lazy sort of way. It looked as if he just threw his clothes onto his frame and ran his fingers through his hair when he got dressed this morning, declaring himself ready for the day.

"Is that a French accent I hear?" He asked, nodding to the drink. "Try it. My thoughts won't do you any good."

"It sure is," she blushed, taking a small sip. It was good, not her favorite but definitely good. "It's good!"

"Tell me, how is it there in France? My mum was from Paris, but she met my pop and never looked back." He shrugged, finding a few boxes to pull over for them all to sit on. "Is it like everyone says?"

She hesitated for a minute. Knowing that Paris wasn't perfect, but she didn't want to smash the dream he's probably had for years since his mother mentioned the beautiful city to him. "It's beautiful, crowded… but very beautiful," Once she saw the simple, happy smile that graced his features Katherine knew she'd said the right thing. "You should definitely go see it one day." She took another sip of the beer in her hand.

"Are you harassing this lovely lady, Danny?" Another man came from behind him and threw an arm around his shoulders and she could hear Daniel groan even over the noise in the room.

His friend was conventionally attractive and she could tell he knew it by the smug smile on his face. He had bronze hair and from what she could see, his eyes were as blue as the ocean.

"Feel free to walk away at any time," Daniel said to her.

"Don't scare her away now," the bronze haired man said happily.

"Oh trust me, if she's still around now this girl is tough as nails," Daniel smirked at me and she could hear James snort from her side.

"Like her sister!" James shouted with a laugh, raising his own beer in agreement. Melinda immediately swatted him from where she sat on his lap before playfully kissing his cheek. "Aye! Watch the beer…:

"I'm Henry," the other finally said, reaching a hand out to Katie. "You'll find that I'm much better looking than my friend here."

"Yes and much more married." At the exact time Daniel chose to say this, Katherine was taking another sip of the beer and choked on it. Even if she had only known this bronze haired man for a few seconds, she would never have guessed this development.

"Annie knew what she was getting herself into," Henry guffawed. "She also knows that she has my heart."

"Yes, my little sister is obviously a little messed up in the head to willingly deal with this." Daniel gestured to Henry, but his words were directed at her. Neither of them looked crossed or annoyed so she could tell that this banter was something that the two had to share quite often.

They stayed in the general room for a few more hours. Eventually, James abandoned his overprotective attitude and stopped standing like a soldier over her shoulder when her sister wanted to dance.

She grinned once she noticed he had finally loosened up. Katherine met Annie, Henry's wife and she was just the polar opposite of her husband. Quiet and reserved where her husband was boisterous. Her hair was a softer red than her brother's and her eyes were blue like her husband's. Her frame was slight, making the small bump of her belly stand out even more. She's pregnant with her and Henry's first child.

She met back up with Melinda and James after at least half an hour to say she was going to go up to get some air.

Melinda noticed the change in her disposition, but she waved her protective sister off and made her way towards the door of the general room. She knew her sister could tell something's wrong, but she just stared at Melinda, pleading silently with her eyes that she just needed some time alone, some space to get her thoughts together. When Melinda finally nodded as she understood, Katherine sighed a breath of relief.

The hallway was much less crowded than it was a few hours ago and Katie was thankful for that. But it still felt stuffy and as if the hall got narrower the farther she traveled down it. Katherine was not sure exactly when or how she ended up back on the deck, but this time she was near the stern of the ship. It's dark out, so it's completely deserted.

She was grateful for the silence and the ocean air. Katie wrapped her fingers around the railing and for the first time, she noticed that her heart was racing and no matter how many breaths she tried to take in, it didn't slow. She realized the deep breaths she thought she was taking in resembled hyperventilating more than anything.

She couldn't stop thinking of the last thing her mother had said to her. She never lost hope watching her lay there in bed even as she got worse. She held her hand when the pains of coughing would attack her body and she hugged her when she cried because the fever hurt so much.

She could see it in her eyes that her mother knew that she wasn't going to survive this. She tried to be strong and felt her mother brush away her tears as if it were still that day.

"My always beautiful little girl," her mother had choked out as she smiled at her. Her soft hand touched her face and cupped her cheek. "I love you so much, Katherine." Melinda was by her other side and their mother turned her older sister. "Take care of her for me… she'll need you."

Melinda nodded and kissed her warm hands, but by the time they both looked back up, she was gone. At first, neither of them broke down, not right away. They both went up to the roof and had a cigarette with James. He tried to talk to Melinda, to comfort her, but she just brushed him off. Katherine went to the lege. She'd thought about jumping, but she'd gone back to the apartment before she'd done anything too rash.

Katherine didn't break down until a few days later when she came home and her sister wasn't there to help her through the day with one of her bright smiles. She went back up to the roof that day trying to get away from that feeling, but she couldn't shake it.

Her eyes burned from the tears and her face was red and she just remembered pacing up and down the length of the roof wishing that it was her. She should've died, not their mother.

She felt all of that now and brushed her fingers over the locket on her neck. She knew inside there was a picture of her father. She wished she could really see him again. To talk to him.

She was only six when he died. She was fourteen when her mother died. Melinda had been twenty.

Looking over the edge of the railing, Katie didn't know why but she could finally feel my heartbeat slow. She thought of her parents and how peaceful it would be to join them again until someone bumped into her and startled her.

* * *

Supper was a horrible experience for Ned. Not the food itself, of course, as he was served ten courses, each one delicious. But the social aspect of supper was terrible.

Ned and his mother were seated with several other rich families of all shapes and sizes. His mother seemed to especially perk up when they met a family with a daughter who was near his age.

Her name was Claire. He supposed she was pretty and she was even kind, but he couldn't find himself attracted to her at all. His mother had him sit next to her during dinner. He tried to make conversation with her, but she hardly responded. Maybe she was shy or was nervous.

He could understand that. He was nervous about saying the wrong thing. No one would never guess that just a few short months ago his mother wasn't even part of the upper class. She fit right in like she'd always been one of them. She proudly spoke of her plans and conveniently omitted his father's previous bakery business.

Ned felt his anger rise upon the realization of just how ashamed of their old life and his father, his mother really was.

After some time, the men rose from their seats. Claire's father looked at him and invited him to join them for some brandy and a smoke. Ned cast a side glance at his mother who begged him to accept with her eyes.

He happily agreed and found himself in a hazy, dimly lit room. The men, with their fine suits and bulging bellies, began discussing politics, a subject he never had any interest in.

However, Ned decided to listen and learn as much as he could. With a future in business, he assumed it would not be very productive to be completely ignorant on the subject. He truly tried to pay attention. He was able to for a little while until they began to talk about how they took whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted it.

Then he found himself thinking about being on the top deck. He wished he could feel the wind in his hair and smell the salt in the air. He wished to hear the waves rushing by as the ship sped toward New York.

Ned couldn't wait any longer.

He begged the gentlemen's pardons, claiming he was feeling ill. That seemed to be a believable excuse. Seasickness was fairly common. The gentlemen all nodded their heads at him and wished that he feel better as he made my way to the top deck.

Once Ned was on the top deck again, he took a deep breath of the salty frigidaire, riding his nose and lungs of the cigar smoke and smell of brandy. He made his way to the stern when he noticed a scene playing out before him.

It was that same beautiful girl he'd seen earlier, in the same green dress. He watched as a man walked toward her, obviously inebriated. The man bumped into her and she gasped, walking away from him. "You should watch where you're going, sir..." Her voice was soft when she spoke. The man grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him. "Let go of me!" He could hear her voice wavering and see her lips trembling. He didn't notice until now that she was crying.

"I'm not being that rough with you, stop yellin'!" The man turned her around and his smile grew as he looked over her.

Ned knew that voice. He was the right-hand man to Mr. Williams, Marvel, his eldest step-son."You're a beautiful young lady," the man moved her away from the railing and leaned her up against the railing. His hands moved over her waist. "You must be a very curious girl. To wander up to this deck at night by yourself, so far away from your kind." A sly smile crossed over his lips when he looked at her.

"What exactly is my kind?" She spat back, his hands moved up to her neck, squeezing just enough to startle her.

"Oh, you know, third class." The man spat out the word like he was swearing at her. He pulled her closer to him, biting his lip as he looked over her. "Shouldn't you be below deck with the rats?"

"I'd rather be with the rats than any man like you." She replied, spitting in his face and shoving him away from her.

Ned nearly laughed out loud, but instead, urged himself to get closer. He had to do something. "Hey! Leave her alone," he yelled and Marvel turned to see him.

His face almost brightened, happy to see a familiar face as he wiped the spit off his face. Marvel rose an eyebrow but turned his gaze back to Katherine. "What is it, Ned? She's vermin and she knows it." He rose a hand to her face, but hovered it there near her cheek, not actually touching her. "You should learn to watch your mouth, bitch. You wouldn't want me to ruin that pretty face of yours, now would you?" He shoved away from the railing and fixed his coat as he spat on the ground. "Thanks for nothing, Ned."

The girl looked like she wanted to take the opportunity to slip away. She was shaking, tears freely rolling down her cheeks. Her hair had come loose from her braid and she flinched as he went to touch her forearm. "What are you doing?" She gasped, her eyes filling with fear. "Who are you?"

He retracted his hand immediately and stepped back. "I am so sorry. I just wanted to see if you were alright." He sighed, leaning against the railing.

"Rubbing up with the third class, are we Banks?" Marvel chuckled as he lit the tip of his cigarette.

But with one look from Ned, Marvel slithered away as well.

"Marvel… can be, well… Marvel." He huffed and turned back to look at Katherine. "Are you alright?"

"You saw all that?" She tried to catch her breath and walked over toward the railing. She looked out onto the water and sighed.

"Yes," he whispered, touching her shaking shoulders.

He couldn't blame her, especially after what he'd just saw happen to her, but he didn't want her to leave.

It's then that the girl turned her head around and her eyes finally meet his. They're different at night, dark brown pools that he could fall into instead of warm, honeycombs in the light. She let out another breath and faced the water once again. "Yes, I'm fine," she replied and nodded. "Just leave me be. You don't even know me..."

"I can't. I'm involved now. I saw what he did," he said, squeezing her hand. He may mean well but his presence was serving no purpose but to grate on her nerves. The quiet serenity she once felt up here was gone. "I'm sorry. No man should treat a woman like that. That's what my father taught me."

"I don't think it's the best idea or us to be alone like this," she whispered, shaking her head. "I'm not one of your kind like your friend said."

"Marvel is no friend of mine and I am not concerned about that, miss," Ned reassured her and rubbed his hand on her shoulders as her skin pebbled. "Are you cold?"

"You should be worried," she corrected him and looked over at him. "What if someone saw us? I suppose I'm a little chilly."

He unbuttoned his coat and placed it around her. "Why would I care about that?" He asked, chuckling. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pleated pants. That would keep them warm for now. "To tell you the truth, I'm a lot more concerned about if you're actually okay because you still haven't answered my question." She didn't reply. Her eyes were still focused on his hand that sat on top of her shoulder. "Have you ever been up in the mountains? It's just a drive from London. They have some of the coldest winters up there." He explained, chuckling as he looked out at the water. "I went there with my father, some of the best memories I have."

"Your father?" She asked, finally turning around to look up at him. "Was he kind like you?"

"Yes, he was. Would you like to hear more about him?" He replied. She didn't know why, but she nodded anyway. "He was a baker. Not professionally, but I'm sure if he had his way he would have been. I'm the youngest of three boys and once my brothers grew up and moved away, we got really close. Even before that though, I've always wanted to be like him so I attempted to bake a batch of his favorite bread. I burned it black." He laughed at himself. "But he said it still tasted the best. He was a great man."

There's only one word she latched onto through was his anecdote, however. Was. "When did he die?" She asked, turning back around to hold onto the railing. She wanted to jump. She wanted to.

"About two years ago," he said.

A beat passed before she chose to speak again. "My dad died when I was very young."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he whispered.

"My mum as well, but after. I was older, but it still hurt just the same," she said. "I miss them. Sometimes I think about going to be with them…"

"What was her name?" He asked.

"Elizabeth," she touched her locket, bringing it to her lips.

"That's a beautiful name," he said. "But do you really think that what your parents would want you to hurt yourself?"

"I'm not sure what they'd want me to do." She whispered.

"They'd probably want you to live. So there's someone left to remember them." He reassured her. "So you can make the most of your chance at life." She was silent for a long time and she realized she'd forgotten about his hand holding hers until he squeezed them in his grasp. "What's your name?"

"Katherine," she looked up at him again, almost feeling good enough to let go of his warm hands. "What's yours?"

"Nice to meet you, Katherine." His voice was softer, in her ear. "I'm Ned."

"It was nice to meet you," Katherine let go his hands and he resettled his hand on her arm and put the other around her waist. "Would you like to walk about the boat?"

"I would love to," he said before he carefully moved his coat around her shoulders. "After you, miss."

Her heart was racing again but for a completely different reason. One she'd never come across before.

"Thank you, Ned." She whispered and pulled his coat around her.


	3. Night One at Sea - April 10th, 1912

_**April 10th, 1912 - 10:30pm**_

Ned was a gentleman, one with a pure heart, she reasoned. After an hour of walking around the deck laughing, talking about everything they could think about, he'd begged her to let him walk to back to her cabin, even if it was all the way down in steerage. She'd told him that maybe another time he could before they docked in New York.

"Will you let me kiss you?" Ned had asked, in the heat of the moment.

They were still out on the deck, which was empty of all passengers, and Ned had her up against the wall. Except for this time, that same smile that she wore earlier on the deck with whatever man she was with.

"What if I want to be the one to kiss you?" She asked, leaning in just close enough that her lips touched his chin.

Ned glanced down at her lips, and then they were kissing. His warm lips seemed to melt into hers. She wasn't sure what to do. She'd never been kissed by a man before. A boy, once or twice, but Ned was a man and kissed like one.

She found herself drawing him closer to her, something she'd seen her sister do every single time as his hands came up to either side of her face, his thumbs gently brushing her cheeks. Katherine opened her mouth a little bit when she felt his open, tentatively pushing his tongue into her mouth to deepen the kiss.

He lowered his arms to her waist to pulled her even closer to him. She wound her arms around his neck in return, until he stepped back just a little bit to remove his lips from hers and leaned his forehead against hers.

They stayed like that for several moments, just holding each other and catching their breath. The moonlight bathed them in white light and they could hear the swishing of the ocean waves as the ship parted them.

Finally, he broke the silence. "Katherine, I –"

"Shh," she urged, pressing her fingers to his lips. "You don't have to say anything."

He let out a breath and pulled his forehead away from hers to look at her. "I really should go… before my mother starts to worry." He said this barely above a whisper, his voice tinged with sadness.

She nodded. "It's quite late."

"Usually I'm not one to kiss a girl the day I meet them," he blushed, his eyes so full of hope. "Please tell me I'll see you again." She couldn't bear the thought of what his eyes would look like if she told him no.

"Of course," she whispered, placing one last gentle kiss on his lips.

He smiled. "Where can I find you?" He asked.

"Right here," she whispered. "This is our place."

"I'll see you tomorrow then." He waved and started to walk away, but then quickly turned around and kissed me on the lips once more.

She touched his face and laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ned," she whispered as he walked away.

She walked to the first door, slipping in and down the stairs to the third class deck. Many people milled about as they drunkenly made their way back to their rooms from the gathering in the common room.

When she went into the room to find that neither her sister or her husband was there, she went toward the common room. The room was hazy with smoke and smelled of beer and sweat. People were laughing, dancing, drinking, and Katherine saw more than one couple kissing sneak away.

The joy in the room was tangible. It was impossible not to get swept up in it. A group of men were playing an upbeat song with various instruments in the corner while couples twirled and jumped on the makeshift dance floor. As the song ended, everyone dispersed and called out for another.

When the next song began to play, Melinda caught her in the crowd, grabbed her and pulled her toward the dance floor. She laughed and let herself go as the lively music seemed to weave its way through her and into her heart.

She wholeheartedly laughed as James attempted to dance next to them. He nudged her with a smile when he saw her laughing. She glanced back over to where Henry and Annie were standing. From what she could see, it looked like Henry was attempting to get her to dance with him, but she seemed rather nervous.

Katherine nodded at her enthusiastically, and finally, Annie relented, allowing Henry to gently take her hand and guide her to the dance floor. She looked around until she saw her sister dancing happily with her husband. Both looked to be having fun, so heartfelt full.

She could never thank James enough for secretly buying their way onto the Titanic. It was the greatest gift she could have ever received. She'd met Ned, the most mysterious and interesting man she'd ever met.

Everyone all danced, laughed, and drank well into the night. Katherine enjoyed a couple of beers, the cool liquid refreshing and invigorating. She had probably lost several pounds in sweat, but she was having too much fun to stop. Eventually, the music died down and the people in the room began to retire to their rooms in steerage.

Katie was mildly disappointed that the fun was over, but was looking forward first night sleeping on the bed that awaited her in their room.

As they left the common room, she hugged James tightly. "Thank you," she said, letting go and twirling around in the hallway.

"For what?" he asked, pulling away and wrapping his arm around Melinda's waist.

"For this," she replied, gesturing to the space around her. "For making this happen."

He smiled warmly. "Good. "Sometimes I know what we all need better than you or your sister do."

"Only sometimes," Melinda chuckled, rolling her eyes.

Katie smiled back at them, just in time to see Henry was saying something quietly to Annie, then kissed her cheek gently and turned to Melinda, James, and Katie.

"Goodnight, you three," he said, bowing slightly. "I expect I will see you all again."

Melinda and Katherine both bid him goodnight as they slipped into the room, leaving James to have a moment with them. "Where did you go?" Melinda asked once they were alone in their cabin.

Melinda was pulling out a nightgown from her trunk as she asked. Her face had flushed red from the alcohol and she had a content smile on her lips which she attributed to James. But beneath that, Katie could tell her sister was still worried about her, but Melinda knew her enough to respect her space.

"I was on the deck, looking at the stars." She shrugged, pulling her bag open. She fished around for her nightdress and pulled the first one she found.

"Is everything alright?" Melinda asked, stripping down to her chemise and pulled her nightgown on.

"It is. I was thinking about mother and father, but I'm better now." She reassured her. "You should get your rest."

"Who's coat is that?" Melinda asked.

Katherine looked down at her torso. She'd completely forgotten about Ned giving her his coat. She was in too much of a daze from their kiss to return it. "No ones," she blushed, slipping it from her frame and hanging it on the door before walking toward the bathroom.

"It's pretty luxurious," Melinda warned and followed her. "Like first class luxurious. I thought your morals were too strict to resort to thievery." Melinda grasped her little sister's forearm and ran her hand along the length of her arm. "Tell me, Katherine."

"You know I'm no thief, Melinda." She hissed, yanking her arm away. "I was cold and I met someone nice."

"Was this nice person a man?" Melinda asked.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Was he a man that happened to be of higher status than ourselves?" Melinda asked.

"Yes," she sighed, looking away from him. She knew what he would think.

"Specifically, is this status you speak of first class?" Melinda asked again.

She looked away. "Yes," she answered quietly.

Melinda may have been acting a little playful, but now that she confirmed her suspicions, she sobered up rather quickly. "Katherine, what are you doing?"

"I'm not doing anything," she answered, shaking her head.

"Why are you fraternizing with the first class?" Melinda shouted. She was furious. How could she put herself in that situation? How did she know if he was a good man? "Men like that only have one interest with girls like you."

"What exactly am I then, Mel?" She bit back at her sister as she splashed water on her face.

Melinda sighed and rubbed his face. "I didn't mean it like that and you know it. I'm just looking out for you. I know you can handle yourself. I just don't want you to get swept up in the extravagance."

"When have I ever?" She laughed at her words and rolled her eyes.

"Well, this is the first time anything like this has come up." Her sister muttered.

"Exactly! So why are you being so unreasonable? I hardly know him." She lied through her teeth. She knew her sister would never understand. "We just talked for a few moments and now it's over. I'll probably never see him again."

"Except to return his coat," Melinda turned around.

"What?" She asked.

"You will be returning his coat, right?" Melinda peeked over her shoulder at her as she held the door handle in his palm. "As you said, you're no thief."

Katie sighed and quickly changed as she heard James stumbled into the room. She'd assumed he'd drank a rather lot tonight along with the rest of the men.

As she slipped out into the room, she watched her sister directed him toward the bed where he plopped down with a satisfied grin. "Come here, beautiful," James whispered as he outstretched his hand to Melinda.

Melinda laughed as she pulled off her husband's boots. "Give me a second to get these off first, you fool!" She shook her head at him. Once the other boot was off his other foot, she sat beside him and he leaned up to kiss her. She gave him a few measly seconds before she pulled back, petting his chest. "Katherine is right there… scoot over."

Katherine felt her cheeks flushing as she snuggled into the comfortable, cozy bed. It was much comfier than anything she'd ever slept in before. She almost wanted to tell them it was nothing she wasn't used to. The walls were very thin in their other apartment.

"Don't worry about me," she said softly, tucking herself toward the wall and pulling her blanket up to her shoulders.

"Yeah, Mellie," James chuckled and the bed creaked as Melinda must've laid down with him. "Don't mind her."

"Oh, shut up." Melinda snickered and she heard their lips smack against each other.

Katherine let her mind wander as her older sister began to snicker as they kissed. She thought to how she met Ned and the last thing he'd said to her.

Would he actually look for her tomorrow? What if he didn't?

She actually felt a pang of regret at that thought. Why did she care that much? He was just some young rich man who would probably be embarrassed to be seen with her in the daylight. She pushed him from her thoughts and sleep came quickly for her then.

* * *

After Ned had left Katherine on the top deck, he went back to his suite, which was just a walk down the deck and down the hall from the door that he came in from. Upon entering his suite, he discovered his mother was waiting for him on the sofa of the sitting room. She turned to him greeted her. The look on her face was unreadable.

"Where have you been?" His mother asked calmly.

"I was just strolling on the top deck. Needed some fresh air," he replied, running a nervous hand through his hair. He really wasn't in the mood for a lecture. He could only hope that she wouldn't smell Katherine's perfume on him. She'd smelt like the most beautiful flowers he'd ever had a chance to smell. "What made you come by my suite to wait?"

"I was worried when the maids said you hadn't returned," she said softly. "Were you by yourself up there?"

He realized his mother was feigning ignorance. Claire. Suddenly, he remembered it was her idea for him to charm her. "Yes, but I was hoping to get a moment with Claire. I never did."

His mother's facial expression changed so quickly it was laughable. Upon hearing that he had been thinking about Claire, she was pleased. At least for now. "You better have a ring on her finger before we are docked in New York City."

"Well, goodnight, Mother," he hurriedly gave her a kiss on the cheek, walked to his bedroom, and quickly shut the door behind him before she could say anything. He allowed himself a small smile as he breathed a sigh of relief. He was finally alone.

His mother's hands were really tied on this. She already wanted him to marry Claire after just meeting her today. Yet, the only thing he could find himself thinking about was the softness of Katherine's lips when he kissed her tonight.

Even though he knew his mother would think he was participating in childish behavior, he would never stop thinking about her or stop trying to see her. And without him, his mother's future would be in ruins as well. So really there was nothing his mother could do besides pout.

He felt a small measure of satisfaction as he began to walk into the bathroom, finding a maid. "Will you draw me a bath?" He asked.

"Of course, Mr. Banks." The maid nodded. "It'll only be a few minutes."

He went into the bedroom and he began to remove his clothes, fetching himself a nightshirt. He didn't realize until he was fully undressed that his mother had followed him into his room.

She coughed behind him in the doorway and he jumped, startled, and quickly reached for his nightshirt and pulled it over his head. He felt his cheeks burning as he said, "Mother, I didn't realize you were in here. Is there something you need?" But it seemed that she didn't even notice she had walked in on him completely naked. Her eyes revealed that she was intent on something. "What is it, Mother?" He asked, trying to remain patient and calm.

"I was curious as to why you felt the need to take a stroll on the top deck of the ship at this time of night?" Mother asked with a cold look in her eyes.

Baffled, he struggled to answer her question. "I was just feeling a little seasick. Thought I would get some air."

"Hmmm…" Mother looked him up and down as if she was seeing how likely he was to defy her. "You are a man now, Ned. Enough of these childish games. Your brothers have deserted us. It is just you and I left to make a name for ourselves. You wouldn't want your father's name to be tarnished because you were playing silly games, would you?"

His first reaction was to become angry and disgusted with the way she talked about his brothers. But the look she gave him after her question – those large blue eyes that began to fill with most-like fake tears, broke his will. He could almost feel the burden of his future being more heavily placed on his shoulders.

"No, Mother," he replied softly.

"Good," she smiled smugly. She had won. "Goodnight, son." With that, she left.

He didn't know why he allowed his mother to have such control over him, but she knew how to control him. She was right – he didn't want the Banks name, his father's name, to be tarnished because of him. He pulled on his nightshirt as he walked to where the hot water was waiting in the tub.

He lowered myself into the steaming water. The water seemed to melt the stress right off of him, so he relaxed deeper into it. It smelled as if the maids had added some kind of scent to it as well.

Ned allowed himself a few minutes to soak in the warm water before he washed himself, dried off, pulled his nightshirt back on, and left the washing room.

He was walking into his room when his mother peeked in. "Goodnight, darling. I expect you to be up early tomorrow for our breakfast."

He went to close the door and locked it behind him, he realized the maids must have prepared his bed for sleeping. The sheets were pulled down, the pillows were up and arranged in a comfortable-looking way. He rubbed one of the sheets between his fingers.

It was incredibly soft.

He stripped off his nightshirt again, deciding to sleep naked. His mother would hate it, but it seemed the only way he could defy her right now.


	4. Day Two at Sea - April 11th, 1912

_**April 11th, 1912 - 2:20 pm**_

Katherine had no idea how she was going to find Ned in order to return his jacket. She never planned on exploring the decks meant exclusively for first class and she would probably be arrested for it if she even tried. She had already been called vermin for being near someone of a higher status, so she did not quite like her chances.

The next day, Katherine went back up to the deck where she'd met Ned. There were few patrons milling about, many children running around and clinging on to one another.

She was not wearing the coat, but she had it slung over my forearm.

"What are you doing here again, miss?" She looked toward the voice. The man was the same one from last night, but not the one that called her vermin. The one who tried to touch her and when she didn't want him to, he called her the whore.

"I am looking for someone, not that it is any of your business." She muttered.

"It is when you're on the wrong part of the ship. I'm sure anyone you would need to find wouldn't be here." He moved closer to her and flicked her braid over her shoulder. His eyes moved to the coat in her arms. "What's this?" He snatched it before she could get her bearings. He looked in the folds of the coat, smirking once he's found what he's looking for. "Ned Banks? This explains a lot. Why you were up here last night. Women like you only want one thing from an upstanding man."

"I was returning it," she gritted her teeth.

"Were you? We'll see what Mr. Banks has to say about that." He grabbed her arm, but she yanked it from his grasp.

"Let go of me! I haven't done anything!" She yelled.

"Where do you think you're going you filthy rat?" He yanked her arm back into his grasp, squeezing her wrist to the point of pain. "We have a thief. Thief!"

Another man approached us, a worker with a long coat on and a hat that read 'White Star Line.' "What is going on here? What has she stolen?" The man asked.

"This coat here from a Mr. Ned Banks." He doesn't question the man and pulled out a set of handcuffs from his pocket.

"What are you doing?" She was panicking now. "I've done nothing wrong!" She didn't care at this point that she was drawing attention to herself. She tried not to watch as a few parents pulling away the children that were once playing so carelessly on the deck.

The metal was cold around her wrists and this certainly wasn't how she imagined this day going. She didn't know what to do. When it's her word against his, she would never have any leverage.

It was then that Ned wandered onto the deck. Her eyes caught his from the other side of it. There was a woman wrapped around his arm. She was blonde and pretty, she gripped his arm tightly. He pulled his arm away from her though and began to make his way over.

"What's happened here? Katherine?" He looked startled to see her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm just fine," she whispered, trying to keep herself calm. Ned was here. He would solve this, wouldn't he?

"Ah, Mr. Banks. I believe this is yours." The dark-haired man handed the coat to Ned.

"Yes." He furrowed his brow at him. "I still don't understand why this wonderful woman is in handcuffs and you aren't."

"She is charged with stealing your coat." The man who held onto Katherine by the handcuffed said with a laugh. "Why would Mr. Andrew be in cuffs?

"She didn't steal it from me," Ned grabbed his coat and stepped toward her, she gulped as he looked at her. There was a look in his eye, a smile almost on his face. "I leant it to her last night."

"Is this really true? Was that the way of it?" The worker looked at Ned, waiting for him to confirm his answer.

Ned nodded.

The worker removed the handcuffs from around her wrists and moved on to other, more pressing matter on the ship.

Katherine touched her wrists and Ned stepped toward her, his lips pressed together. He was about to speak when someone else did before him.

"Darling, who is this?" The blonde woman behind him asked. She wrapped her gloved hand around his arm and smiled at her. "You leant her your coat? How sweet of you."

"This is Katherine..." He said, looking to her. He didn't even realize he didn't know her last name.

"Gordona," she filled in the silence. "Katherine Gordona."

"And how did you and… Katherine here meet?" The woman asked, smiling at him.

Ned sighed. He'd only been looking at her since he first came over and it was at this point that he shifted his gaze away. "Just last night, we were talking and we became…fast friends. Katherine, this is Claire Smith. Her father is the Captain."

She swallowed thickly and turned her gaze to meet hers. She was the Captain's daughter. "It is nice to meet you, Claire."

"I'm sure," the blonde looked her over and then turned away.

Katherine only felt like an insect to these people and itched to get away, but could see that Ned wanted to talk to her. She waited, patiently, as he turned to the dark-haired man.

"Marvel, we will need to speak about how you have treated Ms. Gordona last night and today." He told the man.

"You know well that the only person I answer to is Mr. Williams, Ned." Marvel sniffed, but before shuffling away he turned to Claire, "Your brother is looking for you. He says it's urgent."

Claire rolled her eyes. "I'll see you later. I must see what brother dearest is complaining about this time." She kissed Ned on the cheek and walked away with Marvel.

She could see a muscle in Ned's jaw tick as he clenched it. His fists were clenched at his side as well as he turned back to her, a smile easing onto his face. "I apologize for all this, Katherine. I truly do."

"I only wanted to be sure that I returned your coat," she whispered to him, looking down at her feet. She'd hardly expected any of this to happen.

"Yes, thank you. I really appreciate it." He's quiet for a moment. "Would you consider joining me for dinner tonight? To repay you for all you've gone through."

That doesn't sound like the best idea. Not after the way she's been inspected by these people. "I'm not sure. My sister and brother-in-law would worry..."

"Please? It will be grand." Ned boasted, grasping her hand. "I warn you that I am not above begging."

She bit her lip. "Ned," she whispered. She didn't know how long she could pretend he didn't have feelings for him. "I can't."

"Please?" He whispered.

"I don't—" She sighed.

"Please?" He begged.

She sighed, looking out at the water and stepping away from him. She leaned against the railing.

"I want to make it up to you, Katherine." He said, following her. He stood respectively next to her, turned toward her.

The truth was that Katherine was afraid of going anywhere near this high life. Especially alone. She was nothing like any of these people and that fact would probably be glaringly obvious to anyone who bothered to pay attention.

"I won't fit in," she said, flatly.

"I'll see to it that you will." He offered his arm to her. "Have a walk with me?" She slipped her arm through it and he guided her away.

"So, Katherine," he said softly. "I want to get to know you better."

"What do you want to know?" She laughed, looking up at him.

"What's your favorite color?" He asked, looking down at her.

"So we're starting with the deep stuff?" She asked, winking.

"No need in superficial conversation," he shrugged.

She laughed. He was funny like she remembered her dad to be. "It's green. Like the forest. Growing up we lived in the middle of Paris, so it wasn't often that I would get to see that much greenery. Sometimes when my father had time to spare or days off work, he'd take my sister and me to the outskirts of the city. There was a pond there and we'd sit and have a picnic and play in the water." She didn't expect to say all that, but the memory captivated her. She'd never remembered that before. "Even after I moved to England with my sister I never saw my much of the color. I hope in America. What's yours?"

"Orange like the sunset. I like watching the sun and the stars… it reminds me of my father too." He explained, gulping as he looked ahead at the sky. "That's why I came up here last night. I wanted to see the stars. It just took my breath away."

"Your father must still be very important to you," she stopped walking suddenly and led him toward the railing once more.

"He is," he nodded. "I miss him. My mother… she can be rather cold."

She felt for him and leaned into his arm. "I'm sorry, Ned." She whispered.

"No need," he smiled at her.

"Ned!" They both look in the direction that the voice came from.

A small, middle-aged woman was making her way toward us. Her hair was a short blonde; it actually appeared slightly brittle. Her eyes were a watery green and she was dressed in fine clothing, white silk.

"Hello, mother." Ned nodded to her.

The woman eyed her. She couldn't even imagine what she must look like with her arm wrapped through Ned's. She was wearing a somewhat dress that Melinda had made before they left with the last bit of money they had to buy fabric and her hair was just tied into a braid quickly before she left her cabin. Ned was dressed in what could probably be considered casual clothing for his status, but he looked well put together. A blue, long-sleeved sweater and beige pants. No stains or wrinkles in his shirt, not a hair out of place.

She pulled her arm away from his and stepped away. She couldn't imagine what his mother thought of her at that moment.

"Who is this?" His mother asked.

"Mother, this is Katherine Gordona." Ned introduced her, smiling in her direction.

She coughed to clear her throat. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Banks."

"Charmed, I'm sure." His mother was looking at her like she was an insect, a dangerous insect that needed to be squashed quickly.

There were two other women with Mrs. Banks and Ned took no time in introducing them to me as well. "Katniss, this is Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Shepard." The latter woman looked almost gaudy in her adornments.

She nodded to them happily

Katie startled at the trumpet fanfare that came from somewhere on the ship, she had no idea where.

"Why do they always insist on announcing dinner like a damn cavalry charge?" Mrs. Shepard complained and Katherine had to bite her lip to keep a chuckle from leaking out.

"We should all get ready for lunch," Ned said. "Mother, I have invited Katherine to share dinner with us tonight."

"How nice," his mother spoke, but from her tone, Katherine can tell that it was anything but. Mrs. Banks walked away with Mrs. Smith, leaving just Katie and Ned and a very eager Mrs. Shepard.

"Mrs. Shepard, I need your help." Ned turned to her.

"Ask away my dear boy." The woman smiled

"Could you help Katherine find a dress and get ready for tonight?" Ned asked.

Katherine bit her lip. None of this sits well with her. She still didn't want to come to dinner.

"Of course, I'd love to." Her voice was light and fluttery, like butterfly wings.

"Thank you," Ned smiled. He looked at her and said, "Everything will be fine. I'll see you at dinner." He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek, his lips near her ear. "And then we'll have another moment alone after dinner."

Once he's gone, Mrs. Shepard turned to Katherine. "Do you have any idea what you're doing, dear?"

Katherine looked over and sighed. She had no clue. None whatsoever.

"You're about to go into the snake pit, my dear. I'll see to it that you at least look the part." Mrs. Shepard said, smiling at her and holding out her hand.

The older woman took Katherine back to her quarters. Mrs. Shepard had several trunks lined against the walls and she stood before all of them for a few minutes, tapping her finger on her chin. She pulled out one closer to the end and began digging through its contents. "Aha! I've found it. This is perfect." She turned around and showed Katherine a midnight blue dress.

"That's very beautiful," Katherine had never seen a dress this close up. She'd always looked at them through a window, but to be able to touch the soft material was so mesmerizing to her.

"Well of course it is. Now, we just have to do something with that hair." The older woman hummed.

It took nearly an hour of prepping by Mrs. Shepard before she announced that she was finished. Mrs. Shepared pulled Katherine in front of a full-length mirror and she gasped. She'd never looked like this before. The dress was stunning and the color reflected off the eyeshadow around her eyes.

Mrs. Shepared applied minimal makeup to her face, but enough that it made her skin glow and her hair was shiny and soft to the touch and fell in a wave down her back. "You look beautiful dear. Now that you look the part, you need to remember a few important rules because Mrs. Banks is not one to be trifled with and she can ruin you before they even serve the first course."

"I sensed that from her," Katherine whispered, smoothing her polished hands over her dress. "She doesn't like me very much."

Mrs. Shepard pulled Katherine toward the sofa in the middle of the sitting room and sat down next to her, putting a hand over hers. "I understand that you do not come from a wealthy background, so I will give you some guidance." Katherine turned her gaze to the floor, but Mrs. Shepard gripped at her chin, forcing the young lady to look her in the eye. "First lesson, never turn away first. Now, I was like you once. I lived with my father and traveled with him as he tried to find odd jobs that would pay for the next meal. When you come from that you realize just how trite these high-class people can be, but you must play the game darling. I can see that the Banks boy likes you, his mother doesn't have as tight of a grip on him as she may like to think she does."

Katherine nodded and listed as Mrs. Shepard went on to tell her rules about which utensils to use at which points in the meal, reminded her to sit up straight, and had to tell her several times to keep eye contact even when she felt inferior.

"You're a beautiful girl, Katherine, and might I add you are a much better person than that Claire girl." Mrs. Shepard reminded her. "Ned's fond of you. I can see it in the way he asked me to watch over you. He cares."

"But she's Ned's mother's favored choice. I saw it in her eyes. There's no way she'll let me near Ned alone tonight," Katherine sighed, shaking her head. "I'm not sure I have interest in him in that way anyway."

"I don't want to infer, my dear, but these things have a way of sneaking up on us." The woman reminded her.

"I don't know how to thank you, Mrs. Shepard." She squeezed her hand and smiled.

"No thanks necessary. I enjoy these kinds of things. I never did have a daughter, you know. Only boys." The woman sighed, tucking her arm around hers as they walked out into the hallway. "And you can call me Frances, dear." Katherinsmiledle at her. "You shine up like a new penny. Now we mustn't be late for dinner."


	5. Night Two at Sea - April 11th, 1912

**_April 11th, 1912 - 5:30pm_**

Katherine was overwhelmed with the grandeur of the dining room. The doors were opened for her by two men in tuxedos and when it all opened up before her, Katherine's knees get a little wobbly and she struggled not to fall in her heels. She was on the balcony and just above her, there was a globe-shaped skylight that took up most of the ceiling. The banisters were made of a finely polished wood with gold ornate etchings engraved in them.

A clock rested on the wall just before the staircase which led down to where dinner was being served and she slowly took the stairs one at a time with Mrs. Shepard, hoping not to slip on the marble.

Once she reached the bottom, she spotted Ned immediately. His hair was slicked back and he was wearing his best dinner suit. His eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly agape. "Katherine," his mouth moved to a grin as he came closer to her.

"Hello, Ned." She said softly.

"You look beautiful," he whispered.

She felt the blush on her cheeks. "Thank you," he took her hand and laid a kiss on the back of it then offered her his arm and she took it. "You shall be my date to dinner tonight, miss."

He led her over to where Claire, her parents, as well as his mother and Mrs. Shepard and her husband, were in a cluster talking. "I'd like to reintroduce you all to Katherine."

Once they were seated at a table with Ned's party as well as Mrs. Shepard and Katherine the servers began to pass out drinks. She was startled when Mrs. Banks set her sights on me. "Tell us of the accommodations in steerage Ms. Gordona. I hear that they're quite good on this ship."

She was obviously trying to rattle Katherine's nerves. But, she decided to heed Mrs. Shepard's advice to not give in first. Her sister always did call her stubborn. "The best I've seen, ma'am. Contrary to what many people believe there are hardly any rats." She subtly directed the last part of that sentence toward Marvel, who'd called her vermin.

Marvel noticed of course and spoke up. "Ms. Gordona is joining us from third class."

"She doesn't look third class to me," Mrs. Shepard said lightly, taking a sip of her cocktail.

Everyone began taking their napkins and spreading them across their laps so Katherine did the same. She eyed all the silverware before her and couldn't recall everything Mrs. Shepard told her about them. Luckily, she was sitting next to her and noticed her predicament. "Just breathe, and start from the outside and make your way in," she whispered.

A server stood next to her and held a spoonful of some black substance above her plate. "How do you take your caviar, ma'am?"

"No caviar for me thanks, I've never liked it much," she lied. The stuff looked incredibly unappetizing though. She thought being rich meant they would eat better food.

"Where exactly do you live Ms. Gordona?" Mrs. Mellark asks me.

"If you're asking where I'm from then that is Paris," she said with a bright smile. "I grew up in the city, but then when my mother passed away when I was fourteen I moved to love with my sister in England. We are now on our way to America for a better life, but right now I live on the RMS Titanic. Once we dock the rest will be determined from there."

"How is it that you have means to travel?" Mrs. Banks chuckled, and so did Claire as she ate her caviar on top of a cracker.

"My sister and her husband had some savings, I did too. We put it together and had just enough. I used to take care of children for a few families." She explained softly.

"It seems that all life was leading you somewhere greater," Ned said, sending a grin in my direction.

"And you find that sort of rootless existence appealing, do you?" Claire asked.

"I do, actually. Or else I wouldn't be doing it. I've learned to take life as it comes at me." She smiled at Ned, looking back to Claire. "I like to make each day count."

Ned rose his champagne glass. "To making it count." Everyone else at the table affirmed this sentiment and Katherine rose her glass as well.

At the end of the dinner, Mr. Smith rose. "Well, join me in a brandy gentleman?" They all rise. "Ladies thank you for the pleasure of your company." "Will you be joining us, Ned?" Mr. Smith asked him. "You don't want to stay out here with the women, do you?" He chuckled heartily.

"No thanks, Mr. Smith. The smoke was a bit too much for me before," he shrugged, standing up from the table. "I think I better turn in for the night."

"That's probably best," Mr. Smith reminded him. "It'll be all business and politics. It wouldn't interest you, Ned. You should stay out here and appease your guest." He followed the rest of the men out.

Katherine took that opportunity to make her escape as well. "I should be going as well. It was nice meeting all of you." She bowed to them slightly, smiling, turning to Mrs. Shepard. "Thank you for the dress. I will bring it to you in the morning."

"No need dress. I will never wear it." Mrs. Shepard said softly. "Lovely to meet you as well. Hope to see you again before we dock."

Ned stood and walked over to her. Taking Katherine's hand delicately and laying another kiss on the back of it. There was something in his hand though and transferred it to hers before taking his hand away. "I hope you had a good night, Katherine."

"I did. Thank you for inviting me," she whispered as he pressed a kiss to her cheek on his way out of the ballroom.

Katherine made her way toward the main elevators and was back near the entrance of the dining room when she finally looked at what Ned had left in her hand.

It's a crumpled piece of parchment.

When she unfolded it, there was a written message in what must be his small, neat script:

 _Meet me at our place_

* * *

Katherine knew that it would be best to change before she went to see Ned. She stopped by her cabin quickly and Melinda and James were not there. She assumed they either must be at dinner or in the common room for another night of fun.

Once Katherine changed into a more comfortable dress, she grabbed her small sweater and wrapped it around her as she made her way out. She quickly climbed the stairs and walked through the many stairways to come out onto the deck where she'd met Ned the night before.

She saw him as soon as she walked out the door. He was leaning against the railing, just a few yards away. His dinner jacket was closed around his suit and he turned as she approached.

"I'm glad you got my message," he smiled. "Now we can have a moment alone."

"Alone?" She looked around her. A few passengers of both first and third class were amongst them. But not too many.

"Close enough," he said softly.

Even though Ned wasn't thrilled about this voyage, to begin with, he was quite enjoying the time he spent with Katherine.

As they walked by a row of lifeboats, she asked, "How many lifeboats are there?"

"I believe there are twenty lifeboats all together," he replied.

"Twenty? How many can each hold?" She questioned.

"Oh, I'm not sure." He shrugged and let go of her in order to examine the one tied to the deck. "Looks like they could hold about sixty men."

Katherine furrowed her eyebrows as he came back to her. She flagged the first crew member she saw down. "Sir, how many people are on this marvelous ship?" She asked, smiling at him.

"About 2,200, ma'am, now I must be on my way to see the Captain." The crew member nodded to her with a smile and kept walking further down the deck.

"So there are only enough lifeboats for half of the people on board?" She asked softly.

Before Ned could respond, one of the other gentlemen nearby that heard them said loudly, "Oh, what does it matter? This ship is unsinkable! God himself could not sink this beautiful ship!" The other gentlemen with him bellowed their agreement, but she noticed that Ned did not respond as they continued walking.

"I never realized how unprepared this ship was," he pressed his lips together and nodded. "But we must keep positive, right? Did you have a nice time tonight?"

She smiled. She wasn't sure how she wanted to answer that. Of course, dinner had been fantastic. But his mother, she was cruel. Finding out that there weren't enough lifeboats for everyone frightened her. She knew this ship was strong and built with the best materials possible, but that didn't help her worries not sink into her gut. "Dinner was wonderful, the conversation not so much." She shrugged.

That was all he was going to get from her.

"I can agree with you on that," he nodded, sighing. "My mother can be harsh. I apologize."

She shook her head. "I'm used to it. It's no matter."

"I wish I could brighten your night," he sighed, smiling. "To see you smile like before."

"Like when you kissed me?" She whispered, her eyes glancing to his lips. She wished for it to happen again, but it couldn't. Not in public.

"Yes," he nodded. "Just like then. "What can I do?"

"Do you trust me?" She asked, holding out her arm.

He didn't hesitate and looped his arm around hers. "Of course."

Katherine's grin grew and she led him back toward the door she'd come out of. She had a plan to make sure they had a splendid time tonight.

* * *

Katherine and Ned made their way to the common room in the steerage to find that there was indeed dancing and drinking.

Irish music was being played tonight, Katherine assumed it was by Irishmen that the ship had picked up last night when we had docked in Queenstown, Ireland. The music was even more invigorating and lively than it had been the night before.

"What kind of party is this?" Ned asked, trying to shout over the music.

"A fun one," she smiled over her shoulder at her. "Too much for you?"

Ned chuckled. "Not at all," he shook his head.

Just then, James' voice came to her ears. "Katherine! Your sister has been looking all over the ship for you." He broke through the crowd and walked up to them.

"Oh, James. I'm sorry for being so scarce today." She greeted him softly. James' eyes narrowed when he saw Ned standing there in his fine suit beside Katherine. She quickly spoke before her sister's husband could say anything. "James, this is Ned. I met him last night when I was on the top deck."

James looked at her for a moment but saw the pleading look in her eyes and his face softened. He would leave the tough stuff up to her sister. "James Clancy," James said, sticking out his hand.

Ned took it tentatively. "Ned Banks," he said smiling.

"Katherine Elizabeth, where the hell have you been?" Melinda shouted.

Suddenly, James looked over Ned's shoulder and his eyes widened. Ned turned around to see what had caught the other man's eye.

It was a woman, the one he recognized from when he'd first seen Katherine. They had nearly mirrored faces, except for their noses and jaws. She was wearing a red dress with an intricate black pattern on the skirt.

"Melinda, please, I'm sorry." She whispered, going to hug her. "I had a wonderful day."

"Oh, did you? I was worried sick, Katherine." Melinda sighed. "You said you were returning that man's coat and never came back…"

She heard Ned clear his throat and she closed her eyes. This was no the right time for her to meet him. Not when Melinda was this furious with her.

"I'm sorry I was the one who occupied her most of the day," Ned sighed, taking a couple of steps toward them. "Ned Banks."

Melinda eyed the man who stood behind her sister, his hand on her shoulder. Who was he? How did he know her? Was this the man whose coat Katherine had worn last night?

"Well, you finally decided to join the party. Glad to meet you," Melinda narrowed her eyes at him and he laughed.

"Nice to make your acquaintances," Ned said, attempting to bow.

Just then the musicians began playing a new song. "Well, you all better get out there!" James hollered, grabbing Melinda's hands and pulling her back out there before she could say another word. He winked at Katherine, who smiled at him and looked up at Ned.

"Would you – " Ned started, looking at her.

"I would love to," she nodded, smiling as she took his hand and pulled him out into the mess of dancing.

As Ned and Katherine began to dance to the music, his face broke out into such a huge grin that she thought it was likely to split his face. Her pulse quickened. They danced for several lively songs, both of them sweaty and panting, but not wanting to stop.

Whenever their hands finally came back into contact with each other, she felt fire shoot down her spine. She looked at Ned as he danced. His hair that had been combed back earlier now stuck to his forehead which glistened with sweat. His cheeks were flushed and the freckles on his cheeks seemed more pronounced.

He had removed his suit jacket and tie a couple of songs earlier and had unbuttoned the top few buttons of his white dress shirt, which was now sticking to him with sweat. A few dark chest hairs peeked out of his shirt and she swallowed.

She had never felt this way before. She had never felt this kind of connection with someone before, let alone someone she barely knew. Katherine didn't even know how to explain what she was feeling for this man. For this beautiful and rich man.

She knew she never wanted the feeling to go away. When Katherine looked into Ned's eyes, it was like they mirrored exactly what she was feeling. Finally, the music faded and people began filtering out of the warm, hazy room.

Ned and Katherine continued to stand there, catching their breath. "Do you want to go look at the stars with me again?" he asked, smiling gently.

She nodded and he held out his hand. She took it and followed him to the top deck. When they reached the stern they both leaned on the railing and gazed out at the ocean. The frigid air felt good on her hot, damp skin. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"I'll have to remember to thank James one day," he said in a lighthearted tone.

She opened her eyes, looking up at him. "Why is that?" She asked.

"Because he distracted your sister and gave me the rest of the night with you," he whispered. He leaned closer, his lips brushing against her ear.

She smiled gently and looked back out to the ocean. "I'll have to remember to thank him too." She could feel his lips touch her skin just slightly. "We shouldn't…" He turned her around slowly and their eyes met. "Ned, I –"

"Shh," he urged, pressing his fingers to her lips. "You don't have to say anything." Ned slowly leaned in and gently kissed Katherine's warms lips.

After a brief, wonderful moment, they moved apart. She smiled at him, touching his face. She looked around, seeing that not many people were roaming the deck at this time of night. Unable to contain herself anymore, Katherine pulled Ned's lips to hers for a fiery and passionate kiss.

The world fell away.

It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. His hand rested below her ear, his thumb caressing her cheek as their tongues mingled. He ran his hands up her back, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them and he could feel the beating of her heart against his chest.

"I really should go…" he said barely above a whisper, his voice tinged with sadness. "Before my mother notices. SHe won't be a kind as your sister was."

She nodded. "Me too."

"Please tell me I'll see you again. I shall have to find you this time," his eyes were bright as he smiled at her.

"Of course," she whispered, placing one last gentle kiss on his hand as she let them go. She gave him coat a moment later, making sure not to forget it this time.

He smiled and took his coat. "Where will can I find you?" He pulled the fine, black dinner jacket around him and buttoned it at his waist.

"Right here," she said leaning back onto the railing with a wink. "After lunch."

He chuckled. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Katherine." He waved and started to walk away, but then quickly turned around and kissed her on the lips once more.

She laughed. "See you tomorrow, Ned Banks," she said as he walked away.


	6. Day Three at Sea - April 12th, 1912

_**April 12th, 1912 - 8:20 am**_

When Ned woke up the next morning, his thoughts went immediately to Katherine and their time they spent together the night before. It had been such a rush of so many different feelings.

He settled back into the soft sheets and smiled. He wished she was with him now. He wished to one day feel her lay in his arms and see that peaceful smile of hers creep upon her face. A smile spread itself on his face and other parts of his body began to react as well. He was so content imagining everything he wished one day he would get to do with her.

He wanted a life. A real one.

Not one as fake as the one his mother had planned out for him.

He forced his thoughts elsewhere as he pushed the covers back and stood up. He went to the washing room and stripped down before he stepped into the shower, turning on the overhead spray. The water took only a moment before it was hot and spilling over him.

He ran his hands up and over his chest and arms with a bar of soap before setting it on the ledge. He ran his hands through his hair before he shut the water off and stepped out. He grabbed his robe from the hook on the wall outside the shower. He went out and saw that there had been freshly pressed clothes laid out by his maid for him.

He quickly dressed and met his mother out on their private promenade where the maids were setting out breakfast. His mother was already seated and was sipping her usual coffee. The smell wafted over and he breathed in the earthy smell.

He hurriedly took his seat and poured himself a cup.

"Good morning, Ned," his mother said icily, peering at her as he poured some cream into his coffee.

He immediately became nervous over her tone. "Good morning, Mother. Did you sleep well?" He replied quietly, bringing the steaming mug of coffee to his lips and taking a long sip. The strong, hot liquid felt so good going down his throat.

"Where did you disappear to last night?" His mother asked.

He gulped. He didn't need his mother being suspicious. "I just went to the top deck again. I like it up there." Had she seen him?

His mother looked at him for a moment, the look in her eyes made him gulp again. "Really? I went up there myself right after supper and did not see you."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, it's a rather large ship, Mother. We must have been on different parts of the deck at that time." He was surprised at how steady his voice was. Usually, it was hard for him to stay level with her

Before his mother could respond, the maids brought them plates of fried eggs, grilled sausage, toast, marmalade, honey, and fresh fruit. His stomach audibly growled which only seemed to irritate her further.

They ate their breakfast in silence. It was delicious, but he wished he was among better company. The only noise was the sound of their silverware clinking against the plates. He tried to finish quickly, eager to get out onto the deck and look for Katherine again but trying not to act too suspicious.

After he had finished, he laid back into his seat and wiped his mouth before he stood. "That was delicious. Didn't you think so?"

"It was, my dear." His mother sipped her coffee as he excused himself.

He claimed that the gentlemen had asked him to join them in playing cards the night before. His mother did not respond, but he kissed her cheek and left before she could protest.

He quickly washed up before hurrying out of the suite and to the top deck. The sun was shining and the ocean waters were brilliant blue as he strode across the hardwoods. The sun reflected off the waves and the clear weather seemed to be reflecting his mood.

He'd never felt so clear in his entire life.

As he approached the stern, his heart began to pound. He desperately hoped Katherine would be there. She had to be.

And she was.

She leaned on her elbows over the railing, looking out over the ocean. She was wearing a brown dress that complemented her olive skin and dark hair, which was brushed cleanly down her back. She was beautiful, the most magnificent woman he'd ever seen. Finally, he approached her.

She turned around at the sound of his footsteps and her eyes lit up when they met his.

"Good morning," he greeted her, taking her hand and leaving a lingering kiss on the back of it. He smiled as he stepped closer, leaning against the rail. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Good morning," she greeted in return. "You seem rather cheerful this morning. Why is that?" she said with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Well, I may have kissed the most beautiful woman in the world last night," he smiled proudly.

Her face fell slightly. "Me? The most beautiful? Hardly," she said barely above a whisper.

"Of course you are," his hairs rose to cup her cheeks and ran through her hair. It was as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Not like that girl that you introduced me to last night," she shrugged, looking off at the water. "Your mother likes her."

Who was she talking about? Claire?

Was Katherine jealous of her?

"Clair? No, she doesn't even compare to you," he replied kissing her cheek lightly.

She turned away, shaking her head. "How do you know her?" She asked, looking up at her with teary eyes.

"She and her family sit at our table in the Dining Saloon." He decided not to tell her that his mother and Claire's parents were expecting them to get married. It didn't matter anyway because he was never going to marry Claire.

Not so suddenly. He just couldn't.

Katherine seemed to accept his answer for now, but he could see that she was wrestling with something. He wished he could ease her pain. He stepped closer. His hand resting on her shoulders. "Katherine," he whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek as she gazed out at the ocean.

"What should we do today?" She asked after a few moments of silence.

She thought back to the tour he had of the ship the first day with his mother and got an idea. "Come with me," he said excitedly as he stepped away.

She turned around, her skirt moving with her and swiping up her legs. He grabbed her hand. "Where are we going?" She giggled as he pulled her along the deck.

"It's a surprise," he led her through the halls. No one dared to look twice as he led her down the corridor and back to his suite. He paused at the door.

"Is this your suite?" She asked, her eyes wide. She looked could see she felt out of place and looked down at her feet like she always did. "We shouldn't be here, Ned… what if someone saw us." He nodded, listening at the door. "Isn't your mother here?"

"No, I don't think so." He replied, not hearing anything from inside. "She probably met with some other rich women."

He led her into the suite and shut the door behind them. When he turned back around, he smiled as he watched as she craned her neck to look at the intricate wood carvings along the ceilings. She gawked at the luxury surrounding her.

"Wait here," he said as he went into his mother's room and began to quickly but carefully rummage through her clothing.

He emerged from the room a couple of minutes later with what he was looking for. He held it up for Katherine to see. He hoped it would fit her. His mother was petite like Katherine, so he had assumed it would.

She narrowed her eyes. "A bathing suit?" He nodded eagerly. He could tell she seemed hesitant. "Where would we go swimming?"

"In the swimming pool, of course. Did you think I would make you jump into the ocean?" He laughed, but she didn't seem amused.

"But isn't the swimming pool reserved for the upper class?" She whispered. "What if we were caught… I could be arrested."

"How will they be able to tell the difference? Especially if you're wearing an upper-class bathing suit." He held out the bathing suit to her. "I would never put you in danger. We'll be okay."

She reluctantly took it, holding it as if it would come to life and bite her. "What about you?" she asked.

He quickly went into his own room and retrieved his suit. He held it up for her to see when he came back out of his room. "Let's go," he grabbed her hand again and led her out of the suite.

As they approached the changing rooms for the swimming pool, he noticed some crew workers standing nearby. He assumed they were stationed there to keep out the lower-class. He looked over at Katherine who seemed to have picked up on this.

She slouched and sighed "See, Ned, I won't be able to go in there," she said quietly, her voice tinged with disappointment.

He watched the crew workers for another moment then had an idea. "Alright, I'm going to distract them and you sneak your way into the women's changing room." He suggested.

"Ned, what if–" she started to protest but he interrupted her.

"Come on, don't you want to have fun on this voyage?" He asked.

She sighed and then got a warm, happy look in her eyes. "Alright, but only because it will be fun had with you."

He walked up to the crew workers and greeted them. They both stood up straight and greeted him back. He cleared his throat, "I have a question for you gentlemen," he began, standing in a way that forced them to look at him.

His eyes quickly darted to her, who began to quickly sneak toward the changing room. He made up some ridiculous question about the temperature of the water, not really pay attention to the crew workers' responses. He just subtly watched Katherine disappear into the changing room soon after. "Thank you for your help, gentlemen," he said kindly and entered the men's changing room.

* * *

Ned had never worn a bathing suit before as he had never had a need to. But when his mother heard there would be a heated pool on the ship she bought one for each of them. It was the right thing to do, she'd said. To him, it felt awkward. The material clung to his legs tightly and it probably looked awkward too, but his excitement to spend time with Katherine outweighed his feelings toward his appearance and comfort.

He made his way to the pool, finding that it was vacant. He waited for a few minutes, leaning against the wall until finally, she walked out.

The black bathing suit fit her better than he had expected. It went down to the tops of her knees and bared her arms and a small part of her chest. She blushed when she caught him looking at her.

"Well, are we going to swim or not?" she asked trying to sound exasperated, but he could hear the smile in her tone.

He sighed dramatically. "I guess," he replied and made quite a show of running toward the pool and jumping into it. He broke through the smooth surface and came up a few moments later, his hair and face dripping water as he looked over at Katherine who stood rooted to the floor. "Come on! It feels wonderful!"

She tentatively took a step forward. Then another and another, until she was at the edge of the pool. She touched the surface of the water with one toe.

He swam over to her. As she bent down to feel the water with her hand, he exclaimed, "You're taking too long!" And pulled her down into the water.

She squealed as she plunged into the water. He laughed as she struggled against him and broke through the surface, her hair sticking to her face in various places.

"Ned Banks!" she cried.

He laughed and pulled her with him again, dragging her out to the middle of the pool. The fact that her extremely soft and ample backside was pushed against his hips threatened to cause an embarrassing situation for him in the tight bathing suit. He kept his hips away from her and willed himself to calm down.

He let her go and she playfully splashed him. He splashed her back which started a war of more splashing and trying to wrestle with each other. Her squeals of delight made him giddy.

Eventually, he was able to pull her close again and bring their lips together for a few brief moments because no one else had joined them in the pool. He considered himself lucky.

After a while, she moved to the side of the pool and pulled herself up to sit on the edge, catching her breath. He swam over to her and stayed in the water below her, looking up into her eyes.

She shook her head. "You're going to get me into trouble."

He laughed. "But isn't this worth it?"

She smiled softly. "It is." She rubbed the material of her bathing suit between her fingers. "Ned, I never asked you: where is the rest of your brothers? You've mentioned them a few times…"

He sighed. This wasn't exactly what Ned wanted to talk about at the moment, but she had told him about her family so he supposed it was only fair to tell her about his. "Well, my father died a few years ago," he began quietly. "You knew that." She nodded, her brown eyes portrayed sympathy as she squeezed his hand. "I miss him terribly," he continued. "And my brothers."

"What happened to them?" she asked cautiously.

"My mother wanted to come to the United States and they didn't want to." He sighed, shrugging. "They wanted to stay away from her. I can't really blame them."

"Why did you come with your mother?" She asked.

"I didn't really have a choice in the matter," he muttered. "I had no money, nowhere to go, nothing. She told me that I would be making the Banks name a well-known and respected name by going to coll  
becoming an upstanding businessman."

She narrowed her eyes. "Is that what you really want?"

"No," I said, averting my gaze from hers. "But what choice did I have?"

"I'm sorry, Ned. Truly," she began. "But…I'm glad that it led you here," she said, echoing his words to her from the night before.

He smiled softly and took her hand in his, kissing it gently. She smiled back at him and then slid back down into the water with him. She stood just inches away and their bodies were flush against each other.

She looked up into his eyes and before he knew what was happening, she had her hand behind his head and was pulling him down to her. Their lips locked in a passionate frenzy and he felt himself harden immediately.

He tried to pull away, but she wrapped her arms around his waist and kept him in place. He pulled his lips away from hers and kissed and licked his way down her jaw, her neck, to her collarbone. She whimpered quietly which only spurred him on. The warmth of the water and the way it dripped off her skin and ran down her neck only sent him further into a frenzy.

His hands constantly moved on her back, gripping her shoulders, running his fingers down her spine, until they found their way into her hair. Her hands found their way into his as their lips met again.

Suddenly he heard a cackling laugh behind them. Katherine moved to jump away, but he shielded her as he spun around to see who was laughing at them, desperately hoping his own body would calm down.

It was none other than Marvel, standing by the pool with a towel over his shoulder. "You and the little street rat," the man chuckled. "Of course." He laughed.

"Marvel, get out!" He barked at him. "What are you doing here?"

It took Marvel several seconds to catch his breath enough to respond. "In case you had forgotten, this isn't just your pool, Ned. I'd watch what you say if you want me to keep your secret from that mommy of yours."

Ned groaned in frustration as he turned around. He made his way to the side of the pool and pulled himself out quickly, before helping Katherine out behind him.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"Don't be. I had fun while it lasted," she said as they both hurried into their own separate changing rooms, leaving Marvel to himself in the pool before any other conversation could be had.

* * *

That might have been the most humiliating moment of Katherine's entire life. She had lost herself when she was kissing Ned. But from the moment she saw him in his bathing suit, which revealed his toned arms and legs, all she could think about was how she wanted to kiss him.

And Marvel had ruined it.

She grabbed one of the complimentary towels from a rack on the wall, quickly stripped off the bathing suit, and dried herself off. She hurriedly tugged on her clothing and rushed out of the room as soon as possible, hoping that Ned would still be changing so she wouldn't have to face him.

Unfortunately, he was already changed and was waiting for her. She tried her best to quickly brush past him and the crew workers without a word.

But Ned noticed. "Katherine!" He called after her. She could hear his hurried footsteps as he tried to catch up to her. "Katherine, please stop! Where are you going?"

"Ned, this was a huge mistake." She shrugged him off when he tried to grab her arm. "I don't think we should see each other anymore…"

"What are you talking about?" He sounded hurt, deflated. It broke her heart a little, but she kept walking away from him as more tears rolled down her cheeks. "Katherine, please!"

She finally stopped once they were alone in a stairwell and she spun toward him, causing him to nearly run into her. His green eyes were wide and frantic. "Ned, this isn't going to work! You're from the upper class, and I'm not. We live completely different lives." She closed her eyes, more tears spilling out. "Imagine how your mother would react if she caught us together!"

He looked taken aback. "Katherine, calm down... are you worried that Marvel will tell someone? Because he won't! My mother would never believe him either. He's nothing but an assistant to a rambling drunk."

"And if he told your mother what he saw, won't that make you uncomfortable?" She snapped back.

Ned pushed the palms of his hands into his eyes. "That's not what I meant! He won't tell, Katherine! I promise!"

"How do you know?" She asked.

"I'll talk some sense into him if I need to, but he won't." He reassured her.

"But what about your mother? Her plans for you?" She whispered, looking away from him. "I could never derail your future, Ned."

"I don't give a damn about her plans," he said desperately, grasping her hand. "You were right that first night. No one should be able to steal my happiness, and I'm not going to let her anymore. I want..." His voice trailed off and her features softened.

She rose his hand to kiss her palm. "You want what, Ned?" She asked barely above a whisper.

He stepped closer to her and held his hand up to caress her cheek. "I want…you."

She swallowed as he leaned down to kiss her chastely on the lips. Suddenly her stomach growled, breaking the tension between them.

They both chuckled and he looked down at the watch on his wrist. His eyes widened. "Oh no," he whispered.

"What's wrong?" She asked, patting his chest.

"We missed lunch!" He exclaimed. "Mother's going to kill me. She's already suspicious of something."

She felt her anger rise again. "You don't want her to know about me? You just said you didn't care what she wanted anymore."

He pushed the heels of his palms into his eyes again and groaned. "That's not what I meant..."

"I think it was," she said as she began to storm away again, going down the stairwell toward steerage.

She expected to hear his footsteps behind her again when suddenly she heard an angry high-pitched woman's voice exclaim, "Ned Banks! There you are! I have been looking everywhere."

She glanced over her shoulder as she stalled on the landing between the previous floor she'd been on and the one below. She saw Ned's mother slap him on the cheek. His head spun her way and their eyes met briefly. His hand went up to touch the red spot on his face.

He looked crushed, but she couldn't afford to look back again. Her heart couldn't take it.


	7. Night Three at Sea - April 12th, 1912

**_April 12th, 1912 - 2:20 pm_**

Seeing Katherine storm away from him stung more than the slap on the cheek his mother gave him. Ned's thoughts began to race. What if he couldn't find her again? What if she no longer wanted anything to do with him? He couldn't ever imagine not being able to see her just one more time. His heart began to pound.

He knew his mother had continued scolding him, but he wasn't even registering what she was yelling at him anymore. His mother dragged him back to his suite where she forced him to sit down on the sofa. "You tell me right now, Ned Banks. Where you have been?" His mother demanded, her eyes flaming and her neck flushed.

"I-" He began to think of what he wanted to say, but she interrupted him.

"And you better not say you were on the top deck again because I had several people looking for you up there!" His mother was furious. He couldn't remember the last time she'd been this mad at him.

He swallowed and looked away from her. "I was just exploring the ship," he answered quietly.

"Alone?" She asked.

He looked up into her fierce gaze that intimidated him so much. Her hands were perched on her hips as she stared at him, waiting for his answer. His mother always had scared him, ever since he was a boy.

This was the moment he could tell her about Katherine like she'd wanted him to, but he lacked the courage. He looked away again. "Yes. I was alone, mother."

She sighed exasperatedly. "Why did you not ask Claire to join you?"

He shrugged, thinking of an answer. "I was unsure of her whereabouts."

"Well, the next time you decide to disappear at least ask Claire to accompany you. You are going to marry her, Ned." His mother turned to leave the room. "You might as well get to know her better before the wedding, my dear."

His heart sank. Ned was digging himself into a deeper and deeper hole. He knew the longer he waited to tell his mother about Katherine, the harder it would be to break away from the future she planned so meticulously for him.

Suddenly there was a knock at the suite door. His mother smoothed her skirt and hair and gracefully opened the door, wearing a smile that didn't reveal anything about what had just transpired between them.

It was a crew worker at the door. "Ma'am, I'm very sorry, but I could not find your son."

"Oh, it's no bother. I found him," his mother gestured to where Ned sat on the couch and he nodded to the crew worker. "Thank you for your assistance." With that, she closed the door in his face. "Worthless, every crew member on this ship is worthless," she muttered. "After your little disappearance today, I expect you to be at tea this afternoon. It begins shortly." His mother turned to leave but paused. "You better clean yourself up and dry your hair. Your future wife will be there."

His face flushed. His hair – it was still wet. Did his mother know? He felt like he was playing some kind of game with her. Did she really know all he was doing and was still acting ignorant?

He quickly rose from the sofa and went to his room to wash up and change into better clothes for tea.

* * *

At tea, Ned found myself seated with his mother and several other women, including Claire. He tried not to be humiliated, but being one of the only men in the room made it difficult not to be.

His mother had ignored him most of the time and talked about wedding plans with Claire's mother. Something about how there were so many different colors and flowers that would match Claire's complexion.

The whole time his thoughts were preoccupied with Katherine. She was right. Even though he didn't feel ashamed of her, his actions portrayed that.

Here he was sitting with his mother a potential mother-in-law letting them make wedding plans for him while he was quickly realizing that he had fallen in love with another woman. A woman that his mother definitely would not approve of.

He glanced up at Claire, she was looking at her hands. She looked almost torn between something, like him.

She didn't seem too thrilled about the wedding plans either. He had to talk to her.

He quietly sat through the rest of tea until they were kindly ushered out of the Dining Saloon to let the crew workers prepare for supper. His mother, Claire, Claire's mother, and Ned made their way to the first-class promenade.

As they strolled along the exclusive deck, he found himself walking next to Claire, followed by their mothers who were undoubtedly giddy with excitement that they were walking next to each other.

"So…" He began, breaking the silence. "I didn't get a chance see you again last night. Did you turn in early?"

Her cheeks flushed and she looked away. "No… I went for a walk on the deck, but then I went to bed."

"Oh," he replied, surprised. He wouldn't have thought Claire would come up here at night, alone. "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to see you."

"That's alright," she replied quietly. "We were both preoccupied." She cast him a sly glance.

"I guess so," he chuckled softly. Maybe she did know more than he'd told her already. "Did – um – did someone accompany you?"

"Yes." A soft smile graced her lips. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder to see how closely their mothers were following them. They were caught up in their own conversation. Probably about flowers again. "Let's just say it was someone close to the girl you brought to dinner last night," she said barely above a whisper.

He thought for a moment. "Who?" He asked.

He'd met so many faces last night. It was hard to place one, especially one that would appeal to the likes of Claire.

Her cheeks flushed and she sighed. "I never got his name," she whispered. "But it looks like I'm not the only one infatuated with someone who possesses the means to destroy everything they want for us."

Claire smiled up at him and looped her arm around his. "I'm glad I am not the only one torn," he chuckled.

"Yes," she began quietly. "It's all so hard to piece together. I met him the first night, he was being chased by one of the crew members. He just ran into me and I have never felt this way before about anyone, not even for you. I'm sorry."

He shook his head. It all made perfect sense. She didn't want to cause trouble because she didn't even want to marry him. She wanted to be with the man she'd met. He understood her feelings completely.

Now he just had to ask the difficult question. "So…I think it is obvious we aren't too thrilled about being forced to marry each other. What do you think we should do?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "What if we just ran away?" She said it so quietly, he wasn't sure if he had even heard her correctly.

"Runaway? How?" He asked.

"When the ship docks," she continued quietly. "The man I met already told me he wants me to run away with him. At first, it scared me. But I realized at tea, listening to our mothers plan everything out for us, that I want to."

He didn't respond for a moment. He wanted more than anything to run away with Katherine, but now he might have lost her. He could feel his shoulders drooping as he remembered the way Katherine had looked at him before she'd finally turned away from him earlier.

Her eyes were filled with tears. She was hurt, because of him. He couldn't bear to think of hurting her. He loved her. He just had to tell her.

Claire noticed the change in his demeanor. "Ned, are you alright?" She asked.

"I want that with Katherine," he responded, sadness dripping from his voice. "More than anything. But I think I might have ruined the chance I had with her."

"What happened?" she asked, looking genuinely concerned.

He quietly told her what had happened earlier in the day and Claire listened intently. When he finished Claire said with a look of seriousness, "You have to find her, Ned. If it were me in this situation, I would find him. He embodies everything I've ever wanted in life and I can tell Katherine embodies that for you too. I wouldn't want to lose that."

He sighed. "You're right. I have to find her, but how?" He glanced back at his mother who was still chatting with Claire's mother. "My mother is watching me like a hawk. I don't know how I'd even look for Katherine."

"I think I have an idea. I'll come by to see you later, just try and find her for now." She explained. "If she is worth losing everything, you'll find a way."

He smiled warmly at Claire. "Thank you so much, Claire. You have truly helped me." He took her hand and kissed it gently.

She smiled back. He felt his heart swell with hope. He was going to find her.

* * *

As Katherine stormed back to her cabin, she brushed away the few tears that had fallen. The continued to fall and she kept wiping them away. She wasn't going to let anyone see her cry. Why was she even crying? She barely even knew Ned. He was just some rich upperclassmen.

But he was so much more than that. He was different. Kindness and selflessness seeped from his pores and reflected so deeply in his green eyes that it was virtually impossible for him ro be anything other than kind and selfless. And there was that connection they had.

Katherine had never experienced anything like that with anyone before. When she reached the door to her cabin it swung open and her sister nearly ran into her.

"Oh! Katherine! Where have you been?" Melinda put her hands on her hips then smirked. "Out with that blond boy again?" Katherine brushed past her without answering and flopped down on her bunk. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," she answered.

James suddenly walked in. "Is everything alright?" He asked gently, pulling the door closed. His lips smacked against her sister.

"I don't know. Give me a minute," Melinda whispered. Her voice came closer now and she sat down next to her on the bed. "Katherine, what's going on? Did something happen with that boy?"

She sighed and turned around. Her sister's hand brushed against her face and wiped away her fallen tears. "He's embarrassed of me."

"How do you know?" Her sister asked gently.

"He doesn't want his mother to know about me." She scoffed, sniffling.

"He said that?" Melinda asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Because the boy I met and saw dancing with you last night looked completely and unashamedly in love with you."

"Well, no…" She trailed off as she realized what her sister had just said. She sat up in bed. "You think he's in love with me?"

"If the way he was looking at you doesn't say he was in love with you, then I don't know what would, right darling?" Melinda said matter-of-factly and looked back at her husband.

She looked past her sister and at James, questioningly. He nodded his agreement.

"I have to find him," she said, and with that, she quickly left the cabin.

As Katherine walked briskly through the hallways, her mind raced.

Ned was in love with her?

Normally something like that would scare her, but not with Ned. If someone as wonderful as Ned had fallen in love with her, she had to find him again. But then she stopped dead in her tracks.

Did she love him?

She had never been in love so she wasn't exactly sure what it felt like. Maybe she was in love with him, but even if she wasn't yet, Katherine could see herself falling in love with him. Marrying him. Having his children. Growing old together.

The images flashed quickly in her mind. She wasn't sure how it would all work out, but she know that she wanted to find him. She had to find him.

* * *

Katherine searched for several hours, even missing dinner, but she couldn't find Ned. She didn't even feel like a night of dancing so she had just went to the top deck. To their spot. Maybe he'd be waiting for her there.

The moon and the stars were already shining bright above her head. She leaned against the railing at the stern, gazing up at them, feeling a few tears slip down her cheeks.

What he hated her?

"I thought you might be here," a voice said from behind her.

Her heart skipped a beat, even if she knew it wasn't Ned. It wasn't his voice. It was thick with an Irish accent. One she remember fondly. She quickly brushed away her tears and turned around to see Daniel standing behind her. The man was tall with wild red hair and a scruffy beard, just as she had remember.

"Oh, it's you," she said quietly, turning back to the ocean.

"Well, don't sound so excited," he replied jokingly.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not in a very good mood." She sighed, leaning on the railing.

"Melinda and James told me you were looking for that rich boy. I guess you couldn't find him?" She shook her head, swallowing back the tears. "Well, I might be able to cheer you up, missy," Daniel said, leaning on the railing next to her.

She turned her head up to look at him. "How?"

Daniel cleared his throat. "Well, he gave someone a message to give to me."

She narrowed her eyes. "Who?"

"Um – her name is Claire," he said barely above a whisper.

"Claire? The rich girl that Ned's mother wants him to marry?" Daniel blushed. He obviously hadn't known that. "Hey, I didn't give you a hard time about your rich blonde, now did I?"

She chuckled. "You're right, Daniel, I'm sorry."

The man nudged her and smiled. "You remind me of Annie, Katherine. So sweet and innocent, don't let that boy ruin you."

She smiled back. "So he gave Claire a message for me?"

Daniel nodded. "She said that she had told Ned about us and he asked her to tell me to tell you something."

She quirked her eyebrow. Him and Claire? She'd never seen that coming. "Which is?" She asked.

"That if you forgive him, to meet him at the Grand Staircase tomorrow at four o'clock," Daniel said.

"Tomorrow?" She asked. "Four o'clock?"

"That's what I was told. Are you going to meet him?" Daniel asked, nodding.

"Yes. Yes, I am." She said, her heart skipping a beat.

Daniel smiled and quickly hugged her. "Good. You deserve all the happiness in the world."

She put her head on his shoulder. "You do too, Daniel." He put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder.

They stayed like that for a while, gazing at the stars, until Daniel finally said, "we should head to bed, darlin'."

Katherine yawned and nodded in agreement, even if she knew she wouldn't be able to get much sleep tonight thinking about Ned.


	8. Day Four at Sea - April 13th, 1912

**April 13th, 1912 - 3:30 pm**

Making the necessary arrangements for Ned's plans with Katherine definitely wasn't easy. Fortunately, Claire was able to help him.

He found out from Claire at dinner that as she had learned, Daniel had told Katherine his message. According to him, Katherine agreed to show up, but he was still afraid she would change her mind. Just from the short time, he had known her seemed very unpredictable and fiercely independent.

Claire had also convinced his mother to spend tea and the rest of the afternoon with her to talk about the wedding that wasn't going to happen, which gave him the freedom that he needed.

After that, all of his plans had fallen into place, and now he was just hoping that Katherine wouldn't change her mind. Finally, tea had arrived and his mother bid him goodbye as she left with Claire, she kissed his cheek goodbye.

"Good luck," Claire whispered.

Ned quickly finished preparing what he needed for Katherine's arrival and shortly after, left for the Grand Staircase. He impatiently tapped my foot on the tile floor as I waited for Katniss at the top of the Grand Staircase.

The clock carved on the wall before him indicated that it was 4:04.

Where was Katherine? Did she change her mind?

He ran a shaky hand through his hair and took a deep breath.

"Ned?" He suddenly heard a timid voice say behind him.

He felt his heart rate speed up as he spun around to see Katherine standing at the bottom of the staircase, looking up at him with apprehensive, brown eyes. "Katherine! You came," he smiled, rushing down the steps to meet her, unable to suppress the smile that spread itself on his face.

"Ned, I'm sorry…" she began, but he gently took her face in his hands and kissed her, their lips melting together and effectively cutting her off. He could feel the heat beginning to crawl up between them and he pulled away quickly, eager to reveal his plans to her. He took her hand in mine. "Let's go," he smiled at her.

She smiled softly back and he thought his heart might burst in his chest. She still cared for him. "Where are we going?" she asked, looking around at the beautiful architecture surrounding her.

He only smiled at her in an answer. He led her through a maze of hallways and through numerous doors until they finally reached their destination.

His cabin.

As he opened the door before them, he quickly led her inside. The moment ehd door was closed, he pressed their lips together again.

"I'm so happy you came," he whispered.

"Did you think I wouldn't?" She smiled against his lips as he pulled back. Her eyes were hardly open as she blinked. "Of course, I would."

He smiled, and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Come with me," he whispered and led her across the room.

He brought her toward the privated deck's doors and opened them. She gasped.

Before her was a small, private deck that faced the ocean. The sun was getting close to the horizon and cast hues of all colors across the sky. The colors reflected in the ocean waves and everything seemed to glow.

It was breathtakingly beautiful. "Ned," she breathed. "How did you do all of this?"

"I had a little help," he said sheepishly. He smiled down at her and she felt her breath leave her as his kind eyes settled on her face. The golden hues of the sunset highlighted his hair, illuminated his long eyelashes, a his eyes shined even more than they already did to her.

He suddenly turned away from her and strode over to something lying on the deck. She realized as he picked it up that it was a blanket. He spread it out and then picked up a basket next to it. "Would you care to join me for a picnic, Miss Gordona?" he looked up at her and held his hand out.

She smiled. "Of course, Mr. Banks," she replied in her best upper-class voice.

His smile widened and he let out a laugh. She joined him on the blanket and tucked her legs underneath her as he pulled out all different kinds of food.

There was fruit and cheese and crackers, along with different treats for them.

"How did you get all of this?" She asked in amazement.

"Being in the upper class has some benefits," he replied slyly.

They ate the food and spent a lot of time laughing as they told each other funny stories from their childhoods.

Katherine had found out that when Ned was twelve, he was stocking bags of flour family's bakery with his brothers when he dropped one. Flour had apparently gotten everywhere and he said he was washing flour out of his hair for weeks.

She laughed uncontrollably as he gestured wildly with his hands and his voice became high pitched with excitement. She told him about the time when her goat had escaped its pen and how she and Melinda had to chase it around the yard, both slipping in the mud, until Melinda finally caught it.

He laughed so hard that his eyes squeezed closed and his dimples popped out on his cheeks.

When his laughter died down, she said mischievously, "Tell me a secret, Ned."

"A secret?" he repeated, looking up and scratching his head. "Do I have any secrets?"

She playfully swatted his arm. "Of course you do!" She laughed. "Everyone has secrets."

His eyes suddenly met hers and she thought she saw something flash in them briefly. Was it fear? Guilt? It was gone so quickly and replaced by a sly smile that she almost forgot about it.

"Well, what would you like to know, Miss Gordona?" he asked, his green eyes locked on mine.

"Hmm…" she hummed, tapping her chin as she pretended to think deeply. "When is your birthday?"

"That's not really a secret," he shrugged and watched as she took on a scolding expression. He laughed and put his hands up. "Alright. My birthday is October 12th. When's yours?"

"July 18th," she replied, leaning into his arm. "How old are you?"

He laughed again. "You are pretty curious, aren't you? I'm eighteen," he said. "You?"

"Seventeen," she whispered. She found herself licking her lips as she watch his move.

"What's your favorite color?" She asked.

"You already know this. It's Green," she said, sighing, finding herself looking into his eyes.

"I know, but why green?" he asked, turning to her and narrowing his eyes in curiosity.

"There were woods by my house when I was growing up. Before we moved to Paris, I used to go out there all the time to clear my head. I felt like it was my escape from reality, especially in the morning sun was just rising. The birds would start to sing, the wildlife would begin to stir from sleep, the smell of dew on the leaves and grass, the sound of the creek bubbling." She hadn't imagined all of that would come out, but it had. It helped that his eyes were that color too.

Katherine looked at Ned who was gazing at her intently. "It sounds beautiful," he said barely above a whisper. He seemed to be as lost in the memory as she was.

"It was," she replied softly.

"Do you miss it?" He asked.

She nodded and swallowed. "All the time. If we hadn't moved from the country… I don't think my parents would have died." She gazed out toward the sun that had just begun to touch the waters of the ocean.

They stayed silent for several moments, just admiring the beauty, until she realized that Ned was looking at her. "You're missing the sunset," she said softly, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

"It looks more beautiful on you," he responded lowly.

She turned to look at him. Their eyes met and she saw his darken. She could only reason that it was from desire as he slowly leaned toward her.

Their lips met in a fiery heat that was surely hotter than the sunset that bathed them in its glow. His hand came up to caress her cheek as she tilted her head to deepen the kiss. Their tongues danced and their lips locked over and over.

She felt fire shoot down her spine as he gently sucked on her bottom lip. He tasted like the chocolate they had just eaten. Sweet and intoxicating. As their kiss became more heated, their hands found their way into each other's hair. His soft blond strands were woven between her fingers and she tugged on them gently which caused him to moan from deep inside his throat.

It made her shiver. His hands moved to wrap around her waist, and he pulled her closer to him as they laid back onto the blanket. His mouth left hers as he began to kiss, lick, and suck across her collarbone, jaw, and down her neck.

She let out a breath as he hovered over her. When he found a sweet spot on her neck, her hips involuntarily bucked up to meet his. She felt his pronounced manhood against her core and let out a moan as he grunted against her neck.

She was beginning to realize where this was headed and felt a pang of fear. She had never done this before and she was suddenly wondering if Ned had. He must have noticed the change in her demeanor because he suddenly stopped kissing her neck and pulled back to look at her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, tenderly pushing a strand of hair out of her face. He cupped her cheek, smiling at her. She nodded, but couldn't meet his eyes. "Katherine, what is it?" He asked worriedly, as he sat back and gently pulled him up with him.

"I just…I've never…Have you done this before?" She squeaked out, wringing her hands.

Ned looked at her a moment. "What do you mean?"

"Have you ever…kissed someone like this before?" She murmured, still unable to look at his eyes.

"No," he replied without hesitation. "Never."

"Never? Not with anyone?" She said quietly, finally looking up at him.

"No. Why?" He asked.

"I just…You just seem to know what you're doing," she responded, chuckling uncomfortably.

"I had two older brothers… and I just want to make you feel good." He brought his hand up to caress her cheek and ran his thumb along her bottom lip as he gazed at it longingly. "And you seemed to like what we're doing," he smirked playfully.

"Then do it again," she replied boldly.

The smile quickly fell from his face as his eyes darkened. Suddenly his mouth was on hers again in such a passionate frenzy that the heat from earlier paled in comparison. We gasped against each other's mouths as our lips locked and our tongues explored each other's mouths. His kisses seemed much more unrestrained than before and suddenly hands were on her waist again as he urged her to lie back once again.

She could feel warmth pooling between her legs and something was tightening in her lower abdomen that she had never felt before.

Was this that feeling her sister had told her about?

When his manhood came into contact with her again she gasped loudly as she felt her pleasure mount significantly. Her hands tugged at his hair fiercely and he grinded against her again. Her legs went up to lock around his thighs, pulling him closer to her.

He gasped and laid his forehead against hers. She began to kiss and suck at his exposed neck above her, tasting the sweat that had gathered there. He moaned softly and she felt his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed roughly. Surprising herself, she untucked his shirt from his black slacks and slipped her hands underneath, feeling his stomach muscles that had clenched tightly at her touch.

She had never touched a man's chest before. As she ran her hands up against his undershirt, she felt goosebumps raise up on his skin and he shuddered. He kissed her passionately again and she began to undo the buttons of his shirt. Once they were undone, he flung it aside and ripped off his undershirt. She ran her hands up his chest the fine dark hairs and raking her nails down his stomach.

He groaned loudly and suddenly lifted her shoulders off the ground to reach behind her. At first, she was unsure of what he was doing, but she realized he was playing with the laces of her dress.

She placed her hand on his chest, urging him to sit back so that she could sit up. "We should go inside," she said softly.

He nodded. The sun was just beginning to dip below the ocean as he rose, holding his hand out to her. Once she took it, he led her inside closed the doors. He brought her to his bedroom, closing the door behind them.

She turned to him and said, "Take off my dress."

His eyes became impossibly dark as his slid his hands around her and began to undo the laces of her dress. She didn't think he could get it off of her fast enough.

Her skin was so hot, the air felt good on her bare skin. After her untied the alces, he slid the fabric from her shoulders, leaning down to kiss the skin there. Once her dress was removed, she urged off his pants until they were both only in their underclothes.

His undergarments did little to hide his arousal, and she could feel her nipples tight noticeably through the thin material of her chemise. She saw his eyes glance down at her before he tentatively rose his hands up to tenderly graze against her waist and up to the sides of her breasts.

She let out a breathy sigh, closing her eyes as she leaned into his arms. Seemingly encouraged by this, his hands touched more of her breasts until he was finally cupping them in his palms. His thumbs flicked over her nipples and she moaned embarrassingly loud.

His eyes widened and he swallowed. He laid her back down on the bed as he began to knead the soft flesh of her breasts, enjoying how many sensations and sounds from her that she even didn't know were possible. He suddenly lowered his head to her neck and began to kiss and suck his way down to her shoulder where he slid the sleeve of her chemise down and followed its path with wet kisses.

She sighed to encourage him until finally her breasts were exposed to the air. She could feel her nipples tighten painfully in the cold air, but then his hot mouth was on them, covering them with tender kisses. His lips closed around one of her nipples and he sucked it into his mouth, rolling it around on his tongue.

She moaned loudly as he continued onto the other breast, her lower abdomen growing even tighter. As he began to kiss down in between her breasts, to her navel, and even lower looked up at her as if he were asking permission. The love and adoration that reflected in his eyes as they glimmered in the light made it impossible to deny him what he was asking.

She nodded and he removed her last undergarment. She was completely nude, lying on the bed of a first-class room, completely exposed to this man whom she had just met. But Katherine felt so overcome with her feelings toward him love with him, that she knew it was right.

He moved his way back up to her mouth and kissed her passionately as she felt his fingers slide over her. She gasped against his mouth as one of his fingers found her entrance. She arched her back at the sensation, and he added another finger.

"Ned..." She moaned breathily. He drew his fingers back out and slid them over her again suddenly rubbing against a nub that sent jolts of electricity up her spine.

She gasped loudly and Ned pulled his hand back as if he had been burned. "Did I hurt you?" he asked hurriedly.

She laughed breathily and smiled at him. "No," she breathed. "No, not at all. That felt amazing."

He raised his eyebrows and looked down her body as he rubbed his hands against her again, trying to repeat what he had just done. When he hit that bundle of nerves again, her hips bucked against his hand. He began circling the area with his fingers, sending waves of pleasure through her body.

She opened her eyes abruptly and looked at him. "Ned, oh, Ned," she said, to get his attention. He looked at her questioningly. "I want to see you," she said.

Normally saying something like that would embarrass her, but she felt so crazed by what he was doing to her with his fingers that he wanted to bring him same kind of pleasure. He slowly removed the last of his undergarments until his manhood sprung free of its confines.

She quickly realized that she had never seen the male anatomy before and had no idea bring pleasure to Ned. She tried to remember the few talks she'd had with her sister. The giggles and flushed cheeks that came as they talked about Melinda's first time with James.

Katherine tentatively reached out and wrapped her hand around him which rewarded her with a low groan from him. She began to stroke him up and down and he threw his head back as his mouth fell open and his eyes closed.

"Katherine," he moaned out.

She stroked him several more times until his hand covered hers and he pulled his hand away. Their mouths met again in a deep kiss that seemed to hold so much tenderness and desire that in that moment she knew she had to have him inside of her.

She wanted to be his and all she wanted was for him to be hers. She wanted to be one with him. "Ned," she said between kisses. "Make love to me."

He stopped kissing her and pulled back to look at her . "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she replied without hesitation.

She felt his hand go down between them as he probed her entrance again with his finger. He then withdrew from her and grasped his manhood as he guided himself to her entrance.

He gently pushed himself inside and she let out a small gasp "Are you alright?" he whispered, his eyes narrowed in concern.

She nodded. "I just need a moment to adjust."

"Let me know when you're ready. If you want me to stop, just tell me." He kissed her forehead gently and ran the back of his hand down the side of her face. "I'm ready."

He pushed himself in a little further until he reached a barrier. She screwed her face up in pain and he quickly withdrew from her. "Katherine, I don't want to hurt you."

"No, Ned. Just give me a moment." SHe whispered, looking up at him. "I want this with you. Only you."

He sighed and waited until she was ready. When she nodded, he entered her again with a little more force, breaking the barrier he encountered before, until he was completely sheathed inside of her. She gasped in the pain and he froze above her, waiting for her okay. Finally, the pain became more of a pinching sensation that wasn't as uncomfortable.

"Alright," she said locking eyes with him. "Will you.. Go slowly?"

"Of course," he whispered, kissing the tip of her chin.

His eyes never left hers as he began to rock back and forth, thrusting gently in and out of her. She finally began to feel pleasure building again in her lower abdomen and she began to raise her hips to meet with his, keeping the rhythm.

"I…I'm not going to last very long," he said quietly, averting his eyes in embarrassment.

She reached up to touch his cheek, forcing him to look back at her. She craned her neck upwards to kiss him and their lips melted together. His thrusts began to speed up and become a little more forceful as he broke away from their kiss and lowered his forehead to her shoulder, panting for breath.

She felt his hand trail down her stomach until he reached the sensitive spot between her legs again. The tightening in her abdomen had become almost painful and she arched up to meet his thrusts, as he groaned against her neck and she felt tiny droplets of sweat dripping onto her shoulder.

He rubbed the bundle of nerves in tight circles as she gasped and writhed under him until finally, the tightness released. She felt herself explode around him inside of her, contracting sending tingles throughout her body. He moaned loudly as his face screwed up and his whole body went rigid above her.

He panted above her as he felt her release approaching fast. He looked into her eyes that were now open, gazing at him with such tenderness that he suddenly felt the tightening in his abdomen release. His body went still above her, his head fell back, his jaw went slack, and he felt myself spill his seed, deep inside of her.

She collapsed on top of her and shuddered as the rest of his release left him. He felt her kissing his head and heard her murmuring things to him. He was so content and so caught up in her that he didn't even realize he was missing supper and that his mother would be expecting him.

They lay there for several moments, still connected in each other's arms, catching their breaths. She ran her fingers through his hair that had become damp with sweat and kissed his head. He leaned up on his arm to kiss her deeply. "That was amazing," he breathed. "Thank you. Thank you." He began showering her with kisses all over her face.

She giggled. She had never had anyone make her feel this good before. He laid his head back down on her breasts and let out a contented sigh. "Promise me something, Ned," she said as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Anything," he replied, turning his head to look up at her . "When the ship docks," she began. "Will you stay with me?"

He gave her a long, lingering kiss before he replied, "Always. I love you, Katherine."

She smiled, touching his face lightly. "As do I love you, Ned." She wanted to lay naked and tangled up with him forever. Until the door to his bedroom suddenly flew open.

Ned's eyes got wide and he scrambled to get off of her and cover them with the sheets. "Ned Banks!" She heard a woman screech.

It was his mother. She knew it.

Ned had moved to block Katherine from his mother's view, but she could see her as she peered around his shoulder. She was not alone, however. That rich, blond girl that had Ned's mother wanted him to marry to was with her, along with a few other upperclass women.

All of them were gaping at them, except for Ned's mother who was wearing a deep scowl and had a smug look on her face as if she expected to catch them here. "What is the meaning of this?" His mother screeched again.

"I-I-I…Mother, please – just let us get dressed and then I'll explain!" Ned sounded so distressed that she felt her heart constrict.

"I don't think there is anything to explain, Ned! I've just found you naked in bed with a woman who isn't your fiancée!"

Her ears perked up at the word fiancée. Ned had a fiancée?

She had only thought his mother had made the plans, not that he had asked her to marry him. She felt a flush creep up her neck and onto her cheeks. Then a flood of emotions overwhelmed her. Anger, guilt, and heartbrokenness.

Ned had betrayed her. He had probably only wanted her to go to bed with him. She felt disgusting.

"Fiancée?" She whispered, surprising herself.

She saw the blood drain from Ned's face as he turned to her, sputtering for words. "No! No, it's not like that Kath-"

His mother cut him off. "Yes, fiancée! This is his fiancée, Claire. Remember her? She's right here!" Ned's moher grabbed Claire's arm and yanked her forward, making sure that Katherine got a good look at her.

The young blonde woman began to say something, her eyes conflicted what Ned's mother was saying, but the older woman cut her off. "They're getting married shortly after the ship docks," the woman said smugly, showing off the sparkling ring on her finger.

Katherine's vision became blurry as her eyes welled up with tears. She felt Ned's hands on either side of her face. "Katherine, no! I'm not marrying her!" His voice seemed so far away.

She pushed his hands off of her and stood up, not caring that she was exposed to these people. She felt the evidence of their love-making leak out of her and run down her thighs. Katherine hurriedly pulled her dress back on, feeling completely used and dirty.

Ned scooted to the edge of the bed, covering himself with a blanket, and reached down for his pants. He yanked them back on and strode over to her as she began to walk toward the door. He grabbed her arm and spun her around. "Katherine, you have to believe me! I – "

She cut him off with a slap so hard that her hand went numb from the sting. His head spun to the side and he kept it there a moment as if he was reorienting himself. She felt her heart race with pain, the most overpowering all of the other emotions that she was feeling. He looked back to her with glassy eyes, ready to say something again but she cut him off. "Don't you ever speak to me again! You never told me you asked her to marry you," she whispered… "You said it was all your mother's plans."

His eyes became desperate and he tried to reach for her, but she shrugged him off and stormed toward the door. Everyone that had gathered in the room moved out of the way so she could exit.

She stormed out of the suite, ignoring Ned's pleas to wait, and didn't stop until Katherine had reached the railing at the stern of the ship where she threw up.


	9. Day Five at Sea - April 14th, 1912

**_April 13th, 1912 - 8:30pm_**

A dark void of depression over Ned's future began to swallow him again as he watched Katherine leave, ignoring his pleas for her to wait and let him explain. He looked helplessly at Claire, the tears in his eyes threatening to fall.

"I'm so sorry, Ned," Claire whispered, looking away from him and to the floor. She'd tried her best to keep Mrs. Banks from the suite for as long as she could, but she'd run out of excuses for where Ned might've been.

"You're sorry?" His mother snapped, slapping the girl's face. "You stupid girl! He is the one who should be sorry..." She turned to him, walking up him and backhanding him. It was sharp as it had been the afternoon he'd gone swimming with Katherine. "I can't believe you just slept with some dirty, lower-class whore when he is engaged to a beautiful woman like Claire! You couldn't wait until you were married in America? You stupid man.. just like your father... to sleep with a whore."

His hands clenched into fists at hearing his own mother call Katherine that. "She is not some whore, Mother!" He screamed, making her jump back in surprise. "I love her and father would have never..."

His mother scoffed. "You do not love that stupid girl. You just had some masculine needs and found some whore who would attend to them for you. Just like your father would have." It took all of his self-control not to hit her. Not get her to shut up somehow. His father would have never done that. "Ugh…even this room smells of sex." She waved her hand before her nose. "Who knows how many men that wretched girl has been with."

He was about to lash out when he heard the door open and a man strolled in. It was Claire's father, he went to stand next to him, her strong hand on his bicep, holding him back. "What's going on in here?" the man asked, as he took in Ned's near nakedness, the messy bed, and his mother's anger.

"What are you doing here, father?" Claire asked.

"I heard shouting, and thought I better make sure everything was alright," he replied casually.

"We don't need your help," his mother hissed.

Mr. Smith ignored her and directed his attention to me. "What's going on, son?" Ned looked at him helplessly, feeling his hopelessness overcoming his fury at his mother.

"That is none of your business!" His mother cried, stepping between them.

"Would you just calm down and let me talk to the boy? Seems like he needs a man to talk to since he has no others in his life!" Mr. Smith hollered. "And if this is so serious, it involves me. He is to marry my daughter, is he not?"

They continued bickering back-and-forth as Ned drifted back to the bed and sat down heavily, putting his head in my hands. What had he done

He couldn't bear the thought of not seeing Katherine again. He felt a lump rise in his throat. Suddenly, the bickering stopped and he realized he was alone with Mr. Smith. He plopped down on the bed next to him and offered Ned his flask.

He took it without hesitating and a quick drink. He felt his mouth twist at the vile taste, but the numbing effect was welcome. "What happened?" Mr. Smith asked, taking the flask back.

He sighed, pushing back the urge to cry. He could not cry in front of him. "My mother caught me in bed with Katherine," he was worried how he might react, but the man nodded.

"I sensed you were being forced into all this mess," Mr. Smith nodded. "That's how most marriages work these days."

"I lost Katherine in the crossfire," he muttered. "I really lost her."

Mr. Smith's brow furrowed. He didn't say anything for a long time. Just when Ned didn't think he could take the silence anymore the man began, "I never planned on telling you this, but I think you ought to know." He paused and took a breath. "Before I married– I was in love with a girl like you were."

He looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"I had grown up with her actually, but one day my father told me I was to be the captain of his ship and I had to pick between the poor farm girl or a better life. It nearly killed me, but I left her." He took another swig. "I met Claire's mother not long after and I say… take the chance on love." He took another swig as Ned continued to stare at him, listening intently. "I felt so guilty for hurting Emily, especially when her sister had just died, but I just kept thinking about the money." Ned put his head in his hands miserably. "Don't give up, kid. That girl has been through hell and worse. She's had everyone looking down on her since birth, and now this happened. You only have to explain yourself to her. Let her know she hasn't lost you."

He scoffed. "But how do I do that when she doesn't want me to talk to her?"

"Make her listen! Do whatever you have to," Mr. Smith exclaimed. "Convince her that you love her, and want to be with her, son, because if you don't want to marry Claire… then you shouldn't. You should marry for love. That's what I've always told my little girl."

He sighed loudly and put his head in his hands again. "But my mother.."

"Right…your Mother." The man muttered.

He nodded miserably. "How do I get away from her?"

Mr. Smith was silent for a moment. "Forget her. You need to be happy, and Katherine needs to be happy. That isn't going to happen if you let your mother control everything you do. I'll talk to my wife, make her understand that Claire will find the right man, you can handle your mother, alright?"

"But how do I get her to understand that she can't control me?" He asked.

"By not letting her! And by telling her that she can't!" Mr. Smith explained. "Wouldn't you do anything for this girl?" He nodded earnestly. "Then do this for her."

"But my mother just…she just knows how to control me," he protested.

"How does she control you?" Mr. Smith asked, locking eyes with Ned.

"She – she uses my father against me," he sighed, looking away from Claire's father's piercing eyes. "She says that I can make the Banks me well known and respected. That Father would want that. I know he would. He would hate me for hurting my mother like this."

Mr. Smith looked at Ned for a moment then responded, "You were close to your father, huh?"

"Yes. I miss him very much." He nodded.

Mr. Smith put his hand on Ned's shoulder, forcing him to look at him. "If your father is anything like you, then I can promise you that what your mother is doing to you would not make him happy."

He was silent for a moment as he considered this. Would his father really be that concerned with his family name being in the upper-class realms of the business world? Or would he want him to be happy?

He knew the answer. And he cursed himself for not realizing it before. Of course, his father would want me to be happy. He would want me to make a name for himself doing something with someone he loved. He could still make the Banks name known and respected, but in a different way than his mother wanted.

That's what his father would want for him. What he would want for all of the Banks boys. Mr. Smith must have seen his eyes light up as he realized all of this. The man smiled gently at him. "Go find your girl. Do what I couldn't," Mr. Smith said as he took another swig from his flask. "My work here is done."

He chuckled as he stood up to finish getting dressed. Once he pulled on his dinner coat, Mr. Smith made his way toward the door. "Hey," the man turned to him as he opened the door. Ned stopped buttoning his coat and looked up at him expectantly. "Get the maids to change the sheets. It smells like sex in here."

Ned blushed furiously as he hollered at him to get out. He left, closing the door behind him. Ned could hear him snickering at himself the whole way. Ned shook his head. After he had finished fixing his hair, he opened the door and walked into the parlor. He strode toward the door to the suite until he was stopped by a voice behind him.

"And where do you think you are going, Ned?" His mother hissed.

He took a deep breath before he turned around and replied, "To find Katherine."

His mother laughed condescendingly as if he had just told a stupid joke. "I don't think so," his mother said lowly, her eyes locking on him.

Ned swallowed and said, "You can't control me anymore, Mother. I'm an adult. I can do as I please."

His mother's eyebrows rose slightly, but she didn't look surprised like he had expected. "I thought you might say that now that I've caught you," she replied in a voice that made him nervous. She was clearly expecting this and had a plan. "You see," his mother began. "I've known for quite some time about your sneaking around with this poor girl. Katherine, right?" She said her name like she was spitting rotten food out of her mouth continued, "I was hoping that you would leave the girl before I had to intervene, but clearly you need some guidance." She took a step toward him and he took a deep breath. He was going to stand his ground. He had to. He loved Katherine. "I have plans for you, Ned. Great plans. And I would hate for all of my meticulous planning to go to waste. So I've installed some precautions to keep you on the right track."

"What do you mean?" He asked, his voice slightly shaky. He cursed himself for it.

She stepped toward him until she was directly in front of Ned. She reached out her hand and he flinched instinctively, expecting her to slap him. But instead, she reached behind him and opened the door to their suite. She spun around to see two crew workers forced their way into the suite.

He narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What's going on?" He asked, looking from the crew workers and back to his mother. "Well, Ned, I was going through my clothes the other day and I noticed my bathing suit was missing." His mother paused as if she were waiting for him to remember.

His eyes widened as he remembered that Ned had never returned her bathing suit after he had given it to Katherine to wear in the pool. And now that she mentioned it, he realized Katherine come out of the locker room without it as she was too eager to get away after Marvel had caught them.

Upon seeing his realization, she continued, "I thought, well where would a bathing suit be used but for the pool? So I asked around until some crew workers informed me of a strange instance." He gulped. What was his mother going to do with this information? Was she going to get Katherine into trouble? "They said that they had seen that a young man with blond hair like you entering the pool alone one day, but that later he had exited with a woman of the lower-class, and they had never seen enter," his mother stated smugly. "As you know, people of the lower-class are not to be in the pool. So they did an inspection of the locker room to see if anything had been stolen and found a bathing suit. They had heard that I was missing one and brought it to me, to see if it was mine. And it was. And I had never worn it." Her eyes stared into his. "As I could only deduce that the blond young man could be you and that the lower-class woman was the whore you've been sneaking around with, I am forced to report that my bathing suit had been stolen. And I have witnesses who will identify the thief."

He drew in a breath. "Mother," he began sharply. "You wouldn't dare do that."

She cut him off. "Now there is no need to require her arrest…that is if you choose to forget her and cooperate with me." She stared at him intensely, and he stared back with equal ferocity.

How could she do this to him? Her own son?

"If you really care about this whore, Ned," his mother warned. "Then I would cooperate if I were you. It would be bad for her to be arrested. She would be doomed a terrible life in America. Is that what you want?"

He was trapped. What could he do? Of course, he could never let Katherine be arrested. She would be treated harshly, being of the lower-class. And she would lose everything.

After all, they had been through, he couldn't bear do that to her. He sank down onto the sofa as his mother triumphed over me, the crew workers from the pool that day standing behind her as if to reinforce her threat to Katherine. "Now forget about this whore, you stupid boy. She is not worth your love, my son," his mother stated. "You're marrying Claire, and nothing you do will change that."

* * *

Katherine must have been standing by the railing at the stern of the ship for most of the night by now. The air was freezing but her anger kept her blood hot. Eventually, however, that had begun to give way to the deep sadness and betrayal she was feeling.

How had she been so stupid? Why had she allowed herself to be so open with an upperclassman? Of course, all he wanted was to fulfill his needs. But Ned had to be different, a small voice at the back of her mind said.

She felt tears leak out of her eyes. She really thought she felt something for him. That he had loved her. She thought they had a connection. She had never had that with anyone before…and now it just turned out to be a lie. It was all a lie.

She began to feel sick again. She couldn't believe she'd let herself give in to him. She stayed at the stern until the first streaks of dawn began to appear on the horizon. The sun hits way out of the deep, black waters.

It occurred to her that the last time she saw the sun she was about to give herself to Ned. She cringed, feeling dirty again. She shifted and felt the soreness between her legs, evidence of their actions.

She didn't think she could even think of their time together happily anymore. As she was just deciding that she should leave, she heard soft footsteps behind her. She whirled around, half-expecting to see Ned there. But it was worse. It was Claire.

The rising sun gown shimmer and her hair glow. The young woman looked breathtaking – as much as Katherine loathed to admit it. She opened her mouth to begin spewing curses and insults at her for betraying Daniel the way she had when she put her hands up defensively. "Please," Claire began. "Please, just listen to me."

Katherine could still feel her fury bubbling but clamped her mouth shut.

Claire took this as a sign to continue and took a deep breath before she said, "Ned wasn't lying to you. And I'm not lying to Daniel. I promise." She narrowed her eyes at her, indicating that she didn't believe her. How could she? "I guess…I guess in a way Ned and I are engaged. But not because we want to be. This is only my grandmother's ring. My mother told me to wear it like this until Ned decided if he wanted to marry me." She paused and sighed. "Our mother's are forcing this on us. I like Ned, I do, but I love Daniel. And I know that Ned loves you, Katherine."

Claire's eyes that almost matched the conviction in the same way Ned's bore into hers. The conviction with which she spoke banished the thought from her mind that she was lying. "If that's true," Katherine said through gritted teeth. "Then why didn't just he tell me?" She sighed and looked out to the ocean where the sun had revealed more of itself above the ocean waters.

"He was scared, Katherine," Claire said softly.

"Scared of what?" She asked, incredulous. "Of losing you."

"Why should he be afraid of losing me?" She asked.

"Well, I don't know you very well. But I know that if a man I had fallen in love with told me his parents were forcing him to marry someone else, I might walk away from him." She considered Claire's words. She was right. She was sure she probably would have done the same thing…but probably more angrily than now. "He still should have told me," she mumbled stubbornly.

Claire bobbed her head. "I agree. But look at it from his perspective. He is completely in love with you. Don't walk away from him. It would ruin him. He's already lost enough."

She understood the feeling of losing a lot. She thought about a future without Ned in it and realized she couldn't imagine it. In everything, she pictured, he was there. "What should I do?" She whispered.

Claire smiled gently at her, the bright hues of the sunrise making her eyes shine. "Go find him."

"But what about his mother?" She asked quietly as if his mother was listening to their conversation.

Claire's smile fell. "Ugh…that woman." She paused for a moment, thinking. "It might be tricky to search him out. His mother will surely be watching him very closely now. You go somewhere only he can find you."

She felt a smile tug at her lips. "I know just the place." Claire smiled back at her before she turned back to the sunrise. "So, have you told Daniel? About you and Ned and your mother's plans?"

Claire's eyes fell and she replied, barely above a whisper, "I am going to now."

She nodded. "Good."

"Will…will he leave me?" the woman asked timidly.

She considered a moment. She hardly knew Daniel, but from the times she'd seen him, he seemed genuine. "He might be angry at first, but I don't think he will leave you. He seemed fiery but logical. He'll listen." She could visibly see Claire's shoulders droop with relief as she nodded.

They were silent once more as they gazed out at the sunrise, which was now casting bright colors across the dark waters.

"Well, I should be going," Claire said after several minutes.

She nodded. "Me too." As she began to walk away, Katherine called after her. "Claire!" The girl turned back to him. "Thank you," she said genuinely.

Claire smiled with a warmth that matched the sunrise and said, "Go find Ned."

"I will," she nodded.

* * *

That next morning when Ned joined his mother for breakfast, he couldn't even look at her without feeling bile rise in his my throat. The smug smile she wore on her lips didn't help much. He attempted to eat, but everything made him feel nauseated.

He settled on just drinking a few steaming cups of coffee, which helped some of the grogginess he was feeling after his sleepless the night before. He had lain in bed the whole night, tossing and turning. He tried to push away the dark void of my depression, but eventually, Ned let it take him hostage.

The night was consumed with horrible thoughts of the future his mother had planned for me. He could see no hope. He couldn't live with a loveless marriage. He vaguely wondered how Claire was being persuaded to leave Daniel and marry him. Undoubtedly, his mother must have pulled some strings to get her way, and he was hardly sure Mr. Smith would go along with it.

The thought also crossed his mind of how his mother had dealt with the embarrassment of finding her son in bed with a lower-class woman who wasn't his fiancée. But he realized he didn't care. If his mother had anything else to worry about regarding the incident, she didn't let on. She must have pulled some more strings to get everyone to stay quiet. She probably should have been humiliated to be caught finding her son like that. Naked, having just finished making love to Katherine.

But again, he couldn't bring himself to care about all that. The heartbreak he was experiencing was so much worse. The rest of the day dragged on. He accompanied his mother to all of the meals, including tea, and stayed in his room in the suite between the meals.

There had been two crew workers posted at the door of his suite, seemingly to repress any urges he might have had to leave and seek out Katherine. As much as he wanted to find her and at least explain to her that what they had was real, he couldn't bear the thought of her getting arrested and losing everything.

She was on The Titanic to build a new life in America with her family and he wasn't going to take that from her. At supper that evening, Mr. Smith must have noticed that something was wrong.

When they joined the gentlemen for smoking and brandy once again, he approached him. "What's wrong with you, boy? Haven't you smoothed things over with the girl?" He whispered harshly.

He sat in the chair, staring straight ahead but not really seeing. "No," he replied apathetically.

"What's going on, boy?" he demanded.

He finally looked up at him, meeting his eyes. He was staring at me intently with a look of confusion and slight concern on his face. "My mother is forcing me to marry your daughter. I can't see Katherine anymore," he whispered shakily.

"I thought we talked about this," he nearly growled. "You aren't going to let your mother control you anymore."

He quickly told him about the bathing suit and how his mother threatened to have Katherine arrested if he didn't do what she wanted, and all the while Mr. Smith's scowl deepened. "Damn that woman! I supposed I could pull some strings. I am the captain, but I can't get her to drop the charges," he whispered angrily. "So you haven't even talked to Katherine yet?"

Ned shook his head. "I wish I could. I just want to explain everything so that she knows I didn't betray her. But…" he stopped, looking up at the crew workers that his mother had sent to keep an eye on him.

Mr. Smith followed his gaze and he saw the realization dawn on him. "Give me a minute. These are my men," he said vaguely as he rose from his seat and approached the crew workers. She watched him curiously as he talked quietly with the crew workers and saw something pass from Mr. Smith's hands to theirs.

They left without another word or glance at Ned or Mr. Smith, turned around and approached him again as he looked at him in confusion. "What did you do?"

"You've got a couple hours. That's all I can give you for now," he said as he plopped back down in the chair and taking a gulp of his brandy. "Your mother is being awfully serious about this. I'll see what I can do." He raised his eyebrows in surprise and stared at him, rooted to his seat. Mr. Smith looked at him like he was stupid, shooing him away. "Go! Time's ticking!"

Ned jumped to my feet and fled the room, not even bothering to bid the gentlemen goodnight.

He felt like he searched all over the ship. He went to the General Room where the lower-class passengers were dancing but couldn't see Katherine anywhere.

He made his way through the crowd, eventually finding James and Melinda in the crowd drinking among friends.

"Ned!" James cheered. "Where's Katherine?"

"Haven't you seen her?" He asked.

"You look awfully scared, what's happened?" James asked, turning to Melinda. He gave her a quick kiss and suddenly ushered Ned out into the hallway where he could hear him better. "What's happen with Katherine?"

"My mother found out about us," he said quietly.

James seemed to understand and nodded slowly. "I take it she wasn't too happy," he muttered.

"Katherine ran off and I haven't been able to find her since." He said.

They searched through some cabins in steerage and then thoroughly explored the top shared deck, but neither James or Ned could find her. He was sure it had been an hour already. Ned ground his teeth in frustration.

"I must return to Melinda before she worries. Katherine will turn up, she always does." James nodded, smiling at him. "And she'll listen to you. You just have to say the right words, you know?"

Ned nodded and turned to the railing. As the sun rose and illuminated the darkness of the ocean waters, the realization of where she could be dawned on him. Without wasting any more time, Ned made his way there as quickly as possible. And when he opened the door to the small, private top deck where they had first met, she was there.

Katherine was leaning against the railing, facing the ocean. It seemed that he always found her this way. But it never ceased to steal his breath and make his heart race. The light reflected off her dark hair and the chilly wind tugged at the skirts of her dress.

"Katherine..." He breathed, thinking she hadn't heard him. But her body went rigid and she slowly turned toward him. He had expected her to yell at him, be angry with him, or even leave, but the look on her face was the complete opposite. He rushed to her and gathered her in his arms. "Katherine, I am so sorry. So so sorry." Her arms wrapped around his torso and held him tight as he kissed the top of her head. "I should have told you about everything sooner."

"Claire explained everything," she said softly, looking up at him.

His eyes widened. "You talked to Claire?"

She smiled softly and nodded. "I believe you, Ned." Her face fell. "Where's your mother?"

He felt a lump rise in his throat, remembering that he only had a brief time with her. He explained to her about the bathing suit and he saw tears develop in her eyes when he told her that his Mother would require her arrest if he didn't do what she wanted. "I'm sorry," he whispered again, leaning his forehead against hers and closing his eyes. "I don't know what else to do."

She was quiet and unmoving for a moment before suddenly he felt her lips gently brush against his. He returned the kiss with more urgency. All of the desperation that he had felt conveying itself in this kiss. She responded equally until they were lost in each other's mouths and their panting breaths became mingled in the space between them.

He backed her up against the ship wall that partially enclosed the deck and pushed his hips into hers, wanting her to feel his desire for her. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck. She began trailing kisses down her neck and gently licked her skin, causing her to shiver and moan softly. He let my hands run across her clothed breasts, feeling her hardened nipples through her dress.

He kneaded her breasts as he continued licking and sucking her neck. But suddenly she surprised him by stroking him through his pants. He gasped, caught off guard and reveled in the pleasure. When she reached her hand down into his pants to continue stroking him, the rest of his restraint fell away. He slowly moved them into a more enclosed space and his arms underneath her buttocks and hoisted her up so she was pinned between him and the wall. Her legs wrapped around his waist and he slipped his hands under her skirt.

"Ned," she said urgently, between kisses. All the blood in his body seemed to rush to his groin as he shifted her dress around her hips and managed to maneuver – or possibly tear away – her undergarments until he had her. Feeling how ready she was for him with his fingers, he quickly unbuttoned my pants and let his arousal spring free.

When he entered her, she wrapped her legs around him tighter and leaned her head back against the wall, and breathed out, "Oh, Ned."

He urgently thrust into her. The idea of making love to her deeply and slowly not crossing his mind, even though it probably should have since this would be the last time he would be able to be with her. But he felt so desperate to have her just one more time, that his passion and urgency overcame his tenderness.

She didn't seem to mind, though, as she met his thrusts and dug nails into his back. This new angle was intoxicating for them both. He felt like a wild animal unleashed. Suddenly, without even touching that spot that brought her such pleasure, she cried out and he felt her constrict around him, pulling him deeper into her. High on her release, his own suddenly overtook him as he moaned loudly and thrust a few more times, shuddering as he emptied himself inside of her.

Ned slowly eased her down from where he held her against the wall, pulling out of her, and laid his forehead against hers as they caught our breath. It suddenly hit him that his time was almost up.

He tucked himself back into his pants and readjusted them as he reluctantly looked into her eyes, which were swimming with tears. His vision went blurry. He didn't want to say goodbye to her.

"I'm so sorry, Katherine. But I have to go. I can't let you get arrested," he whispered as he caressed her cheek.

She nodded, closing her eyes and swallowing as a few tears escaped the corners of her eyes. "I won't forget you," she said, barely above a whisper.

"I could never forget you," he replied, kissing her deeply again. "I never will." When they broke the kiss, he looked into her eyes and whispered, "You showed me what love was."

She smiled gently. "I love you too."

His heart leaped for joy at hearing those words, but a fresh lump formed in his throat with the knowledge that he couldn't even be with this woman whom he loved and who loved him in return. He gave her one last, lingering kiss, hoping that it conveyed every single thing he felt for her. And then he walked toward the door that led back into the ship.

He looked back at her one last time, committing to memory the way she looked in the moonlight with the shimmering ocean waves behind her. Then he opened the door and closed behind him. He couldn't bear to look back again. He just couldn't.


	10. Final Night on Titanic -April 14th, 1912

_**April 14th, 1912 - 11:50 pm**_

Katherine watched Ned close the door behind him as she remained on the deck. She studied the railing as if it would relay the memories of their first meeting. She felt the absence of him down below, but could also feel the evidence of having him there.

She felt tears slip from her eyes, but they seemed to freeze in their tracks on her cheeks. The air seemed even colder tonight. She didn't know how long she stayed on the deck, trying to contain the deep grief she was feeling.

How would she ever move on from Ned? Where before she had been excited to dock in the new world and start her new life, but now only felt gloom. The idea of a future without Ned was enough to wrench a few sobs from her throat.

Why did everyone she loved have to get ripped away from her?

Time slipped by as she gazed out at the dark waters. She wasn't even registering what she was seeing, lost as she was in her sad thoughts until the monotony of the ocean waters sudden changed. Vaguely interested, Katherine squinted, focusing on what seemed to be a large shape in the distance. As it drew nearer and nearer, she began to hear shouting from somewhere on the boat. The shouting seemed to be above her– possibly the people in the crow's nest.

The shouts seemed urgent and without even knowing why she began to feel panic swell in her chest. What was that ahead of us? The cold air seemed to be even colder and she began shivering, slowly backing away from the railing as the shape loomed ahead. She was beginning to realize with dread that the ship was going to hit it. With that realization, she had become rooted to where she stood.

Katherine's instincts were telling her to flee, but she had some sick sense of curiosity that needed to be satisfied. The ship was getting closer and closer when suddenly it seemed to turn, putting the shape slightly to the starboard side. Finally, it was close enough that I could see what it was,

An iceberg.

Her eyes widened at its size. But it seemed her panic had been for naught as the iceberg was well on the starboard side now. She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they had narrowly missed the danger when suddenly there was a slight shudder that rumbled through the ship.

She stood rooted to the deck, holding her breath as if waiting for the ship to crumble. After several moments of nothing happening, she breathed again. Everything must be alright.

She began to shake, a combination cold and the relief she felt and decided she should probably go back inside. She made my way down to steerage until she was back in her room.

James and Melinda were both gone, she assumed dancing. Katherine curled up on his bed and burrowed under the blankets, feel grief overcome her once again. She cried herself to sleep.

It must have only been a few minutes since she had fallen asleep when she was reawakened by a crew worker barging into the room and flicking on the lights. She registered him saying something about a life jacket but wasn't awake enough to catch all of it.

As Katherine became more aware of the reality around her instead of the reality of her nightmares, James and Melinda came into the room.

"Hey!" James cheered at her. He had had enough to drink. "I haven't seen you in a while. You know, that boy of yours was looking for you earlier."

Katherine broke into tears then and Melinda rushed to her side, noting the grief etched in the lines of her face. "Katie? What's wrong?"

"What's wrong with her?" James stumbled.

"Sit down and clear your head," Melinda said to him. "Katherine, are you alright?" She asked in a tone so kind and contradictory to James' drunk one that it was almost laughable. Katherine looked up at her sister, feeling the evidence of dried tears on her cheeks. She reluctantly told James and Melinda what happened with Ned. They both listened silently and intently until she had finished and Melinda remarked, "What a bitch!" in regards to Ned's mother.

She could tell Melinda was trying to think of something encouraging to say about Ned when they all heard crew workers ordering people to put on their life jackets. They all narrowed our eyes and shared confused looks.

"Why do we have to put on our life vests?" Katherine asked them quietly.

James had sobered quickly then, drinking water from the sink as he pulled the lifevests from a shelf above the beds. "Maybe, it's a drill," he suggested.

She shrugged but then her eyes widened as she thought about the iceberg and the shudder of the ship after.

Could the ship have hit the iceberg?

She shivered from the thought, but then dismissed the idea. The Titanic was unsinkable, there was nothing to worry about. Nonetheless, all three of them donned their life jackets, helping each other, and each grabbed a few precious items just in case. They went out into the hall where other steerage passengers were gathering. They made our way through the swelling crowd of people until they found Daniel, Annie, and Henry.

"There you are!" Daniel hollered when he saw Katherine, giving her a quick hug as best he could with both of them wearing their life jackets.

"Hello Daniel," she replied simply.

Daniel's eyes narrowed. "I need to talk to you," he whispered so that only she could hear him. "Alone."

She nodded, not meeting his eyes, knowing exactly what he wanted to talk about. She glanced up at the people around her as space seemed to become smaller and smaller. She noticed Henry hovering close to Annie protectively. She felt a pang of jealousy at them being able to be together, at the sight of her pregnant stomach.

"What's going on?" James asked looking at Henry and Daniel.

"I don't know," Daniel shrugged. "Let's go to the top deck and see if we can find out."

They all silently agreed and followed Daniel through the maze of bodies until they were out of the stifling smell of sweat and body odor and into the fresh night air. Even though the fresh air was a relief, it was unbelievably cold.

They all began shivering immediately and huddled close together to stay warm. Katherine latched onto her sister, she wasn't letting her out of her sight. Crew workers were rushing around them chaotically as she noticed that people of the upper class were strolling along the deck in their own life jackets.

She secretly hoped she would see Ned, but had no such luck. Suddenly she felt Daniel tugging on her arm, pulling her slightly away from the rest of their group. Melinda had a worried look, but let her go anyway, turning to look up at her husband.

Katherine looked up at Daniel, waiting for him to ask the question. He sighed deeply and then finally spoke in a hushed voice. "So is it true?" Daniel paused, closing his eyes. "About Claire and Ned?"

She slowly nodded her head. "Did she talk to you?"

Daniel nodded, not meeting his eyes. "Yes. But one minute she's telling me that she doesn't want to marry Ned and it's being forced upon her by their mother's, and then the next min telling me she lied…that she does want to marry him." Daniel stopped, rubbing his hands over his face.

She knew he was trying to hide the hurt that was surely reflecting in his eyes. She realized that Ned's mother must have done something to manipulate Claire as well – to make her say that to Daniel. She was good at reading people and she knew Claire hadn't been lying when they had talked before.

He was silent for a long time before he finally said, "How do you think they convinced her to stay away from me?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. But if you knew Ned's mother, it wouldn't be too hard to believe that she can control people with a snap of her fingers." Daniel nodded, resigned. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

He looked up at her, putting both hands on her shoulders and stared straight into his eyes. "This is not your fault," he began. "This is Ned's mother. And we'll find a way to make it work. For both of us."

"How?" She asked when she was suddenly interrupted by a loud whooshing sound and saw an orange flame shooting up into the sky. "What is that?" She asked absentmindedly.

Daniel gazed at the flame until it began to sink back down toward the ocean waters. "It's a distress rocket," he said as if in disbelief.

Just then, Katherine heard several crew workers shouting to be heard over a group of upper-class passengers. "Women and children only!" they were shouting, motioning toward the lifeboats.

She watched, trying to fit the pieces together, as she saw women and children step into a lifeboat. She remembered the lifeboat situation she'd talked about with Ned. There weren't enough boats. She watched as the crew filled it about halfway before they began to lower it in a chaotic fashion.

She looked at Daniel to see if he understood what was happening. "Katherine," he said, turning to her with a look of realization, disbelief. "This ship is going to sink."

* * *

When Ned went back to his suite after his last rendezvous with Katherine, the crew workers Mr. Smith had paid off earlier were already back, waiting outside the door to the suite. His mother wasn't back yet, though.

He assumed she was still out with some of the other upper-class women, gossiping and wedding planning. Ned chose to push away the thoughts of his mother wedding planning. As he plopped down on his bed, his let thoughts of making love to Katherine here filled his mind. The way she felt against him as he first laid against her.

The way she drew in labored breaths as he pleasured her, how her dark hair looked like melted chocolate splayed out beneath her head, the look on her face when she reached her release. He would never forget how warm she felt as he moved inside of her.

Even though the darkness of his future loomed on the edges of his thoughts, he chose to dwell on these thoughts of Katherine. And eventually, he was able to fall asleep.

He was awoken sometime later by a loud knocking on the suite door. Still, in the clothes he had worn for supper, he didn't bother putting on a robe. He dragged himself out of bed and his bedroom at the same time as his mother exited hers. She must have come back while he was asleep.

His mother was wrapping a robe around herself and was clearly not pleased about awoken at this hour. She marched over to the door and flung it open where a crew worker was standing. "What is the meaning of this?" His mother demanded.

"Pardon me, ma'am, but you must put on your life jacket and go to the top deck," the crew worker said, seeming unoffended by his mother's temper.

He wished he could do the same.

"Why?" His mother replied sharply.

"Captain's orders, ma'am. And I suggest you dress warmly." Then the crew member walked away to begin knocking on the door to the next suite.

His mother turned around to face him and huffed. "This is ridiculous. Why would they perform drills in the middle of the night? I'll have to speak to Edward about this..."

He shrugged as the memory of Katherine's concern over the number of lifeboats briefly crossed his mind. But he pushed the thought away. Surely, this was only a drill. Right?

"Well, I am at least going to dress properly before we go up there," his mother said as she headed back to her bedroom to change.

After a few minutes, his mother was dressed and both of them had donned their life jackets. He went to collect a few things just in case, enough money to keep him going in case they were to leave the ship. He led his mother through the maze of hallways, noting the other confused passengers wearing their jackets. When they had finally reached the top deck, many other passengers had made their way there as well.

He looked around at the people, noting their faces. Some, mostly those of the first class, seemed unconcerned as they strolled about the deck. He noticed there were very few lower class passengers. As his thoughts went to Katherine his heart began to pound.

Would she be up here?

He searched the few faces but didn't see her. If this was a drill, shouldn't the lower-class passengers be here as well? His thoughts went to the lifeboats again. There wasn't enough for everyone…did that mean the lower-class passengers would be left behind if the ship was sinking?

He felt panic swell in his chest. He prayed to God that this was just a drill. This ship was unsinkable, right? Suddenly, he saw Captain Smith himself approaching him, noticing he wasn't wearing a life jacket.

His mother was too caught up in complaining about the situation with some other upper-class women to protest to his talking with him. "Mr. Smith, captain, what's going on?" He asked urgently.

The Captain grabbed his arm and pulled him aside. Lowering his voice he said, "The ship struck an iceberg. It's going to sink." The Captain said it so matter-of-factly that it took Ned a moment to register the horror of what he said.

He blinked several times, gaping. "What? But this ship is unsinkable – " He began to uselessly protest but the man cut him off.

"It's not unsinkable, boy. Only a fool would believe that. It's sinking now." The man scoffed. "Where's Katherine?"

"I-I don't know. We went our separate ways after we met up earlier. I wasn't planning on seeing her again…" He shook his head.

"You need to find her and Claire, get them on a boat before there isn't any left," The captain said sternly, piercing him with his gaze and gripping his arm so tightly it hurt.

He didn't know what to think about this. "But what about my mother –"

"Do you really think the crew workers are concerned about arresting people now?" The captain interrupted harshly.

He swallowed and shook his head as he hardened my resolve. He had to find Katherine. Just then a crew worker began shouting for women and children only to board a lifeboat. Clearly oblivious to the direness of the situation, his mother and her group of pampered hens hesitated, seemingly disgusted by the notion of getting on a lifeboat. "Get on the lifeboat, Mother," he urged her, pulling away from Mr. Smith.

His mother looked at me, confused. "I don't understand why they are going through all of this trouble just for a drill."

"It's not a drill," he practically growled. "The ship is going to sink."

His mother stared at him, her eyes wide with fear. The women around them must have heard him because they all began to talk in high-pitched frantic voices. The crew workers began ushering them into the lifeboat as he looked on. His mother looked back at him as she stepped onto the lifeboat. "You'll get on a lifeboat too, won't you?" She asked.

It was the first time in his entire life that his mother had sounded genuinely concerned about him. He actually felt a pang of regret, staring into her wide glassy eyes, realizing this may be the last time he ever saw her.

"I'll try my best, Mother." He nodded. He did his best to give her a reassuring smile and waved at her as the lifeboat was lowered out of sight. When he could no longer see her, the urgency of the situation came crashing back down on him.

He had to find Katherine.

* * *

Ned raced through the halls of the Titanic, searching every face of a girl who remotely looked like the woman he loved. He hadn't found her. He didn't know where to start looking. As he came running down the Grand Staircase, he looked at the gathered asses of first-class passengers.

He turned to see the clock. It was just after midnight. That was when he spotted Claire and her mother, talking amongst their friends and other families.

Ned rushed down the stairs and met Claire, pulling her off to the side with him. "Have you heard?" He asked.

"Heard of what?" She asked, trying to remain calm as she looked around them. She was wearing a life-vest. Had she no clue the ship was going to sink?

He cleared his throat and spoke lower now. "The boat is going to sink," he whispered.

Her eyes went wide with fear and she looked around at the people who had no clue what was going to happen. "What are we going to do?" She asked.

"I'm going to find Katherine," he informed her. "I suggest you find Daniel before it's too late. Find a lifeboat as soon as you can."

She nodded slowly, smiling at him. "Thank you for telling me."

That was the last time Ned ever saw Claire.

He began to frantically search the upper deck, just in case, there was a chance she could be up here. He called for her, looking at every single face, but the deck continued to swell with people as more and more passengers were beginning to realize what was happening.

The Titanic wasn't unsinkable after all.

People were pushing and shoving, children were crying, crew workers were trying unsuccessfully to organize the chaos and get passengers into lifeboats. The horror of it all threatened to swallow him whole, but his determination to find Katherine kept him focused.

After he was sure that he had searched the entire top deck. What if they had contained her in steerage with the other lower-class passengers?

The dread that she was trapped in steerage began to settle in.

"Where would she be?" He asked Captain Smith, catching him amongst the crowd again.

"I heard they're trying to contain the lower-class passengers to make sure all the upper-class passengers get on lifeboats first," the man replied gravely.

He shook his head at the injustice of it all as he quickly made his way below deck and toward steerage. When he finally reached the staircases that led to steerage, he stopped dead in his tracks.

There were gates locked in place at the top of the stairwells. The passengers trapped on the other side were screaming obscenities at the crew workers that held the keys before them. He stood in front of the gates, asking if anyone had seen Katherine and yelling her name. No one had seen her – no one really seemed to care – and when he didn't hear her calling back to him, he spun around, feeling the panic taking over.

What was he going to do? He felt his body begin to tremble with the fear that he wouldn't find her.

Maybe she came looking for him. As he made his way to his suite, he felt as if he was walking uphill. The ship must be tilting. When he looked up the hall and back behind his position, he noticed the ship was leaning. He swallowed as the reality of the situation began to settle in further

The Titanic was really sinking. As if to remove any remaining doubts he had, the lights flickered. When he began to get closer to his room, he noticed the door was open.

Had his mother left it open before?

He entered the room and nearly ran straight into Katherine, James, and Melinda.

"Ned!" Katherine cried, throwing her arms around him and hugging him so tightly he could barely breathe.

"Katherine," he breathed out in relief, wrapping an arm around her waist and moving the other hand up to her head to hold her to him.

He could feel her trembling as they held each other, and he pulled back to look at her. Her brown eyes were filled with fear and tears. "You scared me to death!" she said in a shaky voice before kissing him with trembling lips. He kissed her back. "I was so afraid I wouldn't find you. What are you doing here?"

"Daniel went looking for Claire, and I wanted to find you. We split up and my sister and James came along. We've been searching everywhere for you," she replied.

"I have been looking everywhere for you! I couldn't bear to leave you on this sinking ship," he said hopelessly, looking to her sister, who was holding James' hand tightly behind Katherine, and back at Claire who was beside them. "We need to get on a lifeboat. They're taking women and children."

Melinda noticeably clung to James and Katherine to him. "What about you and James?" Ned and James looked at each other knowingly. He could see in his eyes what he was coming to realize himself– they probably weren't getting off of this ship. But they exchanged looks of determination to get both Melinda and Katherine off of this damn ship.

"We'll figure it out," James replied and Ned nodded in agreement.

The lights suddenly flickered again and the ship groaned loudly.

"Let's get going," Ned motioned for them all to follow him.

Katherine grabbed his hand and he led the way. The hallways were completely empty as they made their way back to the top deck. But the chaos they faced when they finally did reach the top deck was overwhelming. People were so tightly on the deck that it was difficult to move, and the cries and screams of panic were deafening.

Yet, somewhere in the distance, he could hear music playing. Smooth, clear and lively. Such a contrast to the horror that was upon us. The ship was now noticeably leaning toward the bow as the lower levels filled with the icy cold seawater.

Panic threatened to overtake him again when he saw the passengers claw way to the lifeboats. How would he get Katherine and her sister on one? They made their way to the side of the ship and looked over the railing toward the direction from where the lifeboats were being launched.

He could see a few lifeboats already in the water, and James must have seen them too because he said, "There's not enough lifeboats for all of the passengers on board and they're not even filling them up all the way."

Ned realized he was right. He remember that they had guessed that each lifeboat could hold about sixty people and most of them weren't even half full. Katherine and Melinda were huddled together behind James and Ned as they quietly discussed their plan of action.

"We have to get them on a lifeboat now," Ned urged.

"How? There are so many people. And most of the crew workers won't even let lower-class passengers on." James sounded so hopeless.

"I'll go with you. Come on," Ned replied, pushing his way through the crowd.

When they reached an empty lifeboat, Ned approached the crew worker in charge of it and whispered something to him. He pulled out roughly one hundred dollars and slipped it into the man's hand. When he both looked back James, Katherine, and Melinda, the worker nodded and motioned for the all of them to step on board.

James reluctantly shook his head and looked back at the door that lead to the steerage. "They are trapped down there, all of those good people," he whispered. "I have to help them get out. They deserve a chance."

"James," Melinda whispered, shaking her head. "You're coming with us."

"I'll find another boat, okay?" He reassured her, holding her face. Melinda hugged James and kissed him deeply. He reluctantly pulled away and backed Melinda toward the lifeboat. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

Ned tried not to flinch at the lie and he slowly sat down in the boat. James knew he was sealing his fate by not getting on this lifeboat.

Ned helped Katherine in after him holding her hand tightly in his. Melinda moved into the boat reluctantly after and held onto James' hand for another moment before she let it go. James then approached Katherine and hugged her from the deck of the ship. Ned heard him mumble something quietly to her and she nodded in response, but he couldn't quite catch what he said.

James nodded to Ned then, shaking his hand. He trusted him to take care of Katherine, and maybe even Melinda.

Then Katherine turned to him. Her brown eyes were so full of fear that it broke her heart. The Titanic was supposed to be something wonderful for her, an amazing memory, a ray of hope in the darkness of her losses. But now it was another tragedy in her life. A very dire tragedy. She laid her head on his shoulder. She was only happy to have Ned with her, even if he had had to pay their way on.

As the crew member let more women and children on, James took another moment to embraced his wife tightly and gave her a deep, desperate kiss, holding her face in his hands and feeling her tears wet his cheeks. "Keep this, just in case." He slipped his wedding band off into her hand.

"I don't want to leave you," Melinda whispered to him, shaking her head as she took the ring from him.

"You aren't leaving me. I'll see you again soon," James whispered back, leaning his forehead against hers and closing his eyes so that they didn't betray his inner turmoil.

When he finally pulled away and stepped away from the lifeboat she said, "You better find a lifeboat, James or I'll kill you myself."

He smiled despite the situation and tried to nod reassuringly. "I promise," James whispered and turned to run back toward the steerage.

Melinda watched until she couldn't anymore, looking to her sister. "I can't let him go," she whispered to her.

Katherine shook her head. "No," she whispered. "You're not going after him."

"I love you, my little sister," Melinda cupped her cheek and hugged her tightly then. "You have Ned now… please… I can't think of a life without him. Lease... do you understand that?"

Katherine slowly nodded and hugged her again. She knew that better than anyone now as she looked back at Ned. "You better be okay, or I'll kill you myself." She mimicked her sister's earlier words, earning a laugh from Melinda as she jumped from the boat and disappeared in the same direction James had.

She stared at the empty part in the crowd where her sister had left, as the rest of the boat was filled with both classes. Until it was lowering down to the dark water below, and that was when Katherine knew she would probably never see her sister or James again.


	11. Final Night on Titanic -April 15th, 1912

_**April 15th, 1912 - 1:10 am**_

Katherine watched the crowds of people until the lifeboat she and Ned were in was lowered out of sight. He was trying to put on a brave face so that she wouldn't worry, but she wasn't stupid. And she knew that he wasn't either.

They both were very aware that they may never see Melinda or James again. She realized at that moment that she might be losing the last of her family in the world. But she pushed the thought away, refusing to let the grief and panic cloud her thoughts. At least she wasn't completely alone because Ned was here.

She wondered what had happened to Daniel, Henry, and Annie. She felt slightly guilty for not trying to find them. But last she had seen, they were on the top deck and not trapped in steerage like the rest of the lower-class passengers. She hoped they had found their way onto lifeboats, even though she was sure that Daniel and Henry were in the same situation as James and Ned would have been if not for Ned's bribe.

When Daniel had told her that the ship was sinking, she didn't believe him. She had stared at him, dumbfounded. But as his words sunk in, the pieces of the puzzle fit together. The ice life jackets, the lifeboats, the distress rocket…all of those things did not mean a mere drill. Once the shock had worn off, her first thought was Ned. She had to find him. If this ship was going to sink, she wanted to at least be with him. She doubted the crew workers cared about arresting people any more. And with a situation like this, it made all of my other problems seem small – including Ned's mother.

Now that her sister had doomed herself running after James, the only reason she wasn't falling apart right now was that she was leaning on Ned. His strong arms against her cheek almost made her feel better. She was so desperately clinging to that hope of them in the new world, that despair had no room in her thoughts or her heart.

She was suddenly shaken from her thoughts when she heard shrieks and loud cries coming from below their lifeboat. She quickly peered over the side to see that they were being lowered on top of another lifeboat.

Everyone aboard began yelling for their crew workers to stop while some other crew workers were furiously sawing at the ropes of the other lifeboat with knives. She felt completely helpless. She kept looking from side to side, looking for some way to help but couldn't see any. She peered back over the edge of the boat and saw that they were getting dangerously close to the boat below women and children were shrieking and ducking.

Suddenly the crew workers lowering their boat realized what was happening and stopped, giving the other crew workers the chance to cut the other boat loose. When the other boat paddled a safe distance away, their boat began to lower again until they reached the dark, icy waters.

She shivered as if the water below the boat were seeping into her body. She looked back up at the ship, thinking maybe she would see James and Melinda, but they were nowhere to be seen. She convinced herself that that was a good thing, they were probably searching for another lifeboat to board.

As the crew worker of their lifeboat paddled them away from the ship, the sight before them made her gasp out loud and made Ned and Claire cover their mouths with their hands.

The Titanic – the glorious, majestic, unsinkable ship – was sinking. The bow was almost completely submerged below the surface of the waters and most of the portholes in the parts of the ship were underwater. The shrieks and cries of those still on the ship rose together in a single wail that drifted across the waters, wrapped her body in a haunting embrace, and clenched her heart.

She knew that if she lived past this night, that wail would find its way into her nightmares forever. And Melinda and James were still on that ship. Tears formed in her eyes, blurring and merging the lights of the ship.

This couldn't be real. This had to be a nightmare.

Just then, another lifeboat paddled toward their and stopped a few feet away. She looked around at the people in her boat and in the other boat, committing to memory the faces of who were witnessing this tragedy with me. All were women except for a couple of crew workers and few rich men who had paid their way abroad.

She realized that while their boat was a mixture of upper- and lower-class women, the other boat held only upper-class women and men. Many were whimpering and crying, burrowing themselves into their expensive fur coats as if that would shield them from the tragedy before them.

Katherine glanced at Claire and felt so grateful toward her for not sniveling the way the other upper-class women were. "Claire!" a familiar voice suddenly cried out from the other lifeboat.

Claire jumped and looked in the direction of the voice. As if my heart couldn't sink any further – there was Ned's and Claire's mother. Some of the other women looked up in curiosity. "Claire! Oh, thank God! We were so worried about you!" Mrs. Banks cried.

Claire glanced at her and shivered, but didn't respond to Mrs. Banks or her mother. She refused to. She held onto Katherine's hand and smiled at her.

Katherine briefly looked over at Mrs. Banks, which she realized was a mistake. She immediately recognized her. "You!" she yelled. "What are you doing with her, Ned?" she demanded of her son.

"Mrs. Banks," Claire began in a calm voice. "I'm not marrying your son." His mother began sputtering, but Claire continued. "He's not in love with me and I'm not in love with him. He loves Katherine, he risked his life tonight to find her and keep her safe. And I love Daniel."

"How dare you?" Mrs. Banks screeched. "You would break our deal then? You wouldn't mind if I soiled your family name by telling everyone that you slept with a lower-class man. No one will ever want you if they know you are soiled."

So that was how she had manipulated Claire. She was slightly surprised that Daniel and Claire had slept together, but that feeling was overwhelmed by the disgust she felt toward Mrs. Banks.

"Enough!" she cried, surprising Mrs. Banks and herself. "You are so concerned about your precious future, that you didn't even realize your son almost died tonight, the person whom your future depends upon!" She felt her throat constrict as tears welled up in her eyes again. "You are a selfish, horrible woman who only cares about what you want! People are going to die tonight! My own sister might dight. Don't you understand?"

The silence that came as her response was satisfactory enough for her. Whether she had stunned her into silence or made her feel guilty, she wasn't sure, but the cruel woman didn't respond. The only sound that could now be heard was that single wail of those still on the sinking ship.

Katherine held onto Ned tighter, who kissed the top of her head. "Well said," he whispered. "I couldn't have said it better, dear."

* * *

James remained rooted to the spot on the deck where he stood, even after the lifeboat carrying everyone he cared for was lowered out of sight. He continued walking back toward the steerage and felt as if time was standing still.

He would never see Melinda again. His beautiful, loving wife. He bit back his tears but willed himself to wait until there was no hope. The chaos around him became a hazy blur, the loud and panicky voices were muffled, the cold air lost its bite.

All he could feel was the emptiness in his chest and the looming grief and panic that threatened to overwhelm him. Another distress rocket being fired into the sky shook him out of his daze.

He glanced back to where the empty part of the deck where the lifeboat was. He saw Melinda running toward him, her skirt swaying as she ran into his arms.

No. No. This was exactly the opposite of what he wanted.

"Melinda? Why?" He cried, holding onto her. He pulled back, searching her face. "Why would you get off that boat?"

"Because I'm not leaving you. I won't live without you," she whispered, looking into his eyes. "And you don't make that choice for me."

"We are not going down with this ship," he whispered, sealing their lips together. "Not if you came after me…"

She smiled, touching his face. "I hope so, my sister needs me."

"I know," he nodded "We should release the lower-class passengers. They're still being contained, locked-up in steerage like animals," he seethed. "They deserve a fighting chance as much as the upper-class."

When they got to the gates there, it was no different than it had been earlier. The lower-class passengers on the other side of the locked gates of the stairwells were still screaming, begging to be let free. The stench of sweat in the air reeked of desperation. The crew workers charged with this disdainful job stood before the gates, stern looks on their faces, and keys on their belts.

Melinda felt bile rise up in her throat from the revulsion she felt toward these crew workers. James didn't waste any time. He immediately stormed up to one of the crew workers and slammed him into a wall. "Let them free!" he demanded.

Melinda had never felt more turned on in the worst situation in her life. She thought the crew worker would give some sort of resistance, but his eyes only widened in fear and he shakily removed his keys from his belt. Melinda took the keys from the other crew workers before they bolted up the stairs.

Whether they were going to tell their superiors what had happened or were running from the mob of angry passengers, but either way, it was a good thing they left. Both James and Melinda rifled through the keys, trying them until they found the correct ones to unlock the gates. As the lower-class passengers flooded out of the stairwells, a few stopped to thank them, shaking their hands and wishing them luck.

They both wished them the same, hoping that they sounded more convincing than he felt. James looked down one of the now empty stairwells where seawater was now creeping up the steps.

His eyes widened as he stared at the icy blue water, white froth on the surface as churned and rushed to swallow the ship. "Won't be much longer now," he muttered, grasping her arm. "We best start looking for a lifeboat."

They both silently agreed and began making their way toward the Grand Staircase when suddenly Melinda thought she heard crying behind her. She stopped in her tracks as James continued walking ahead of her.

If he hadn't heard it, maybe she hadn't really heard anything either. She continued walking when she heard the cry again. "James, stop." She said and spun around to follow the sound.

It led her back to one of the stairwells that led down to steerage. There, sitting on one of the steps alone, without a life jacket, was a little boy. Probably only four or five years old.

Her heart clenched at the sight of his twisted face, glassy eyes, and the tears streaming down his cheeks. Melinda knew she couldn't leave him behind. She tentatively approached him so as not to startle him. As she neared him, he jerked his head in my direction. His gaze locked on hers. He had crystalline blue eyes that shone his tears and shaggy blonde hair. He was shivering. He shrunk away from Melinda as she bent down to be more level with him.

"It's alright," she said calmly. "I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Melinda."

He looked at her for a moment as if he were seeing if he could really trust Melinda. Then he said cautiously, "I'm Matthew." He sounded English.

"Where are your parents, Matthew?" She asked.

"I don't know," he replied miserably.

"Oh," I swallowed. "When did you last see them?"

"Before bed. I think they went for a walk." He thought for a moment and realized his parents must have avoided the containment of the lower-class passengers and been kept from their son.

The sense of dread she began to thought about trying to find the boy's parents in the chaos above was overwhelming. "Alright, well, first of all, I think you need to put this on," Melinda said as she removed her life jacket and placed it on him, adjusting the straps. It was much too large for his small frame, but if either of them ended up in the water, she knew he didn't stand a chance without it. She could swim after all, but he was a child. And she had already accepted her fate. She wanted to be with her husband if they were going to die.

"Now, how about you come with me, Matthew? I'll help you find your parents," she finally said, holding out her hand.

The boy stared at her again before reluctantly taking her hand. She realized that the water had crept further up the steps. It was more than halfway up the stairwell now. She tried to pull him up, but his little legs struggled to carry him up the steep steps and by the time they reached the top of the stairwell she was carrying him.

James was waiting, looking at her sternly. "How did you find him?" He asked.

"I heard him crying. He can't find his parents," she replied slightly defensively.

His resolve soften and he nodded, and then they began making their way toward the Grand Staircase again, the ship groaning and creaking the entire way. The lean of the ship becoming steeper with every step. Matthew clung to Melinda, the cold of his icy fingers seeping into her skin through her shirt. But he wasn't crying anymore. Her heart ached at the thought of his chances of survival. By the time they reached the beautiful staircase, they were trudging through water up to our shins. The water felt like pins and needles pricking her skin.

More seawater began to rush in, as high as their hips. She stifled a gasp at the shock of the cold water. Matthew whimpered close to her ear. James stuck out his hand and Melinda took it, letting him pull her toward the stairwell that led up to the top deck.

She noticed the clock carved on the wall indicated 1:55. Had it only been two hours since they were awoken by the crew workers ordering them to put on their life jackets?

They had just reached near the stairwell when suddenly the glass dome above them shattered and water rushed in, knocking them off their feet. Unable to catch herself since she was holding Matthew, she landed face-first on the hard marble floor. Melinda must have momentarily blacked out because the next thing she knew, James was carrying her out of the onslaught of water. When she opened her eyes, her vision was blurry. She blinked to focus and then felt a dull pain in her forehead and nose. She tentatively reached up and touched her face, feeling something warm.

When she pulled her hand away, there was blood on my fingers. She realized her nose was gushing blood and there was a gash on her forehead. "Come on, Melinda," James urged, pulling her to her feet as they came to the water-free stairwell.

"Wait! Matthew!" She cried, just then realizing that he was no longer with her.

"He's gone, Melinda. I tried to grab him," James held her back as she tried to return to the staircase. "He got washed back down the staircase. It's completely flooded. There's no way you'll find him." As much as she hated to admit it, he was probably right. If the staircase had flooded, who knows where Matthew had gotten swept off to in the rush of water?

Melinda ignored the ache she felt for having lost him when he had just been in her arms and pressed on with James, holding her hand up to her nose to keep the blood from gushing everywhere. She was pretty sure it was broken.

"Are you alright?" He asked looking concerned as she stumbled along.

"Just a little dizzy. I'll be fine," she mumbled back through her hand.

It was nearly impossible to get back to the top deck. It felt as though they had to climb to get there for the steep angle of the ship. The bite of the frigid air was cruel, especially since they were already soaked with the icy seawater. The blood on her face seemed to freeze. But the racing of her heart kept her from shivering. As they climbed the railing, looking for any remaining lifeboats, she noticed those that were already out in the water.

But what drew her attention the most was the field of people in the ship and the boats, swimming and trying to stay afloat in the frigid, black abyss of the ocean. SHe stumbled more than once, still feeling dizzy from hitting her head before, but James didn't leave her behind. He pulled her along until they suddenly came across a small group of trying to launch a collapsible lifeboat. It was much smaller than the other lifeboats, but most people weren't even trying to get on lifeboats anymore.

They were climbing to the part of the ship, the stern, which was now well above the waters. Melinda turned her attention to the group of men still trying to launch the small lifeboat. James was trying to help and just as she was about to, the ship lurched, sinking further and threw them all overboard, along with the collapsible lifeboat.

Melinda gasped as the cold water wrapped her body in its vice-like grip and she sucked in water. She coughed and sputtered, trying to stay afloat and rid her lungs of the water at the same failing miserably. The force of the ocean began to suck her under, as she had given her lifevest to Matthew before everything had happened. She was approaching the point of giving up and just letting the sea swallow her when two strong hands pulled her out of the water and onto something solid that was floating. She retched, the water finally leaving her lungs and allowing her to breathe.

As she drew in deep breaths, never having felt so grateful for oxygen in her life, she realized James was clinging to piece of debris with her. Once she had caught her breath James asked her, "You gave your lifevest to the boy, didn't you?"

She nodded her head, still catching her breath. James looked thoughtful for a moment, then suddenly removed his life jacket, which was no easy task considering they were now in the water. When he handed it out to her, she refused. "No, I can't take that from you. You need it."

"Melinda," he thrust the life jacket toward her again, clearly not taking no for an answer. He helped her put it on so that she wouldn't slip off of the debris, which she was thinking looked like part of a bench from the top deck. Once she had secured the life jacket around her, she turned around to see the Titanic which was now behind her.

Her eyes widened at the sight. The front half of the ship was now so submerged that the back half would have been impossible to climb for the angle. The propellers were now well above the water, and she noticed some of the smokestacks were beginning to sway.

Just then, the cables holding the smoke stack in place snapped and the huge thing plummeted toward the water. She watched in horror as the people in the water below it frantically to swim away but were caught in its wake. While they weren't too close to it, the waters around them shifted and swayed with the aftershock of the collision.

Her eyes remained glued to the Titanic as she watched the rest of the sinking unfold before her. The lights on the ship flickered out, plunging those in and near the ship into darkness. The screams and cries echoing in the night and across the waters seemed to grow louder, horror of the tragedy becoming so much more close and real in the darkness.

Suddenly, there was a loud groan and a crack that pierced the night, overcoming all of the other noises resounding in the zone of the sinking. I watched as the Titanic split in half. The first half now completely lost beneath the waters, plunging toward the ocean floor beneath them. The back half of the ship remained horizontal, parallel with the waters until the place where it had split, gaping like an open wound, also began to fill with water.

In an unbelievably short amount of time, the stern was vertical. Completely straight up and down. If the sight wasn't so horrific, it might have been incredible seeing such a huge ship looming straight up and down above the water like that. But then the back half of the ship began to sink too.

The ocean was greedy. It swallowed the people still on board, the propellers, and then finally, the stern. It was all gone. The was all only evidence of there having ever been a great ship called the Titanic sailing these waters, was the people it left behind.

"We have to… figure out a way to stay out of the water," James stuttered. "Otherwise… we'll freeze."

She nodded slowly, grasping the bench tightly. "But how?" She shivered, keeping herself afloat.

"We need to find more wood. We need to attach it to this and pull ourselves up," he explained, swimming around to the other side of the bench. She saw his head poke out on the other side. "There's some over here. I just… have to reach it."

Melinda kicked her legs to stay afloat as she listened to James as he grabbed wood to connect to the bench. What were they going to attach it with?

James came near her, holding a piece of the broken lifeboat and some rope along with it. "Take this," he sputtered, struggling to swim with both in his hands. She took the rope and secured it around the bench, holding tightly to the wood as she tried to reach out for her husband with her free hand.

"Thank you." He clutched onto the bench, taking a quick breather before he pulled the broke plywood toward them. "Where's the rope?"

"Right here," she shivered. She could barely feel her legs anymore, her strength waning as he took it from her. He quickly tied the two together and double checked the sturdiness.

"It looks good. Don't you think?" He asked, pulling himself up. He sat atop the wood and held his hands out to her. He pulled her up and she laid down the best she could. He laid beside her, trying to warm her.

"Now what to do we do?" She whispered.

"Now we wait," he said softly.


	12. Lost at Sea - April 15th, 1912

_**April 15th, 1912 - 3:15 am**_

As the shock of seeing the ocean swallow the Titanic began to wear off – at least as much as it could since James didn't think it was something he would ever forget – his other senses become heightened.

The raised voices of those in the water were so loud that he wanted to cover his ears. The screams, the crying, the prayers, the pleas for help clenched his heart with an icy fist. The sound of the cries was haunting. The sounds of nightmares. Something that would always stay with you.

He looked at Melinda who was clinging to the wood that he'd secured together. She was pale, her dress and life-vest were plastered to her body, her hair stuck to her forehead, her bottom lip was trembling slightly shivered– and was that ice forming on her eyebrows?

He could tell she was trying to keep her eyes open. To keep them looking at him like he'd told her to. That was when he began to register the cold. He realized his whole body was still tense from the icy water and that his muscles began to ache even as he laid beside Melinda. His lungs felt as if they were being constricted and it was becoming more difficult to stay awake. His breaths came out in labored white puffs between his now chattering teeth.

He slowly turned his head to look out toward the lifeboats floating in the distance. He wondered why they weren't coming back to help those in the water yet. Just the lifeboats he had seen before had so much more room to share.

He squinted as if he could see in the darkness. He wondered, was Katherine in one of the boats he could see now? Would she and Ned look for them or had they given up hope and assumed they were already dead?

His teeth chattered more loudly as he began to shiver violently. "We sh-should try to move," he said in a shaky voice. "Mm-maybe that will w-warm us up."

Melinda nodded and ran her hands up against his arms. She moved as close as she could to him before the wood started to tip from having too much weight on one side. "I-I want to lay with you," she whispered. "I wish I could."

"M-m-me too," he whispered, feeling her hand touch his face. He pressed a slow kiss to the inside of her hand. It was the first time when she'd ever touched him, and she hadn't made him feel warmer.

The energy it took to talk was more than they both had left. The frigid air and damp clothes were slowly draining the warmth from their bodies, stealing their strength and determination. They clung to each other and the bench they had managed to keep together.

"I c-can't feel m-my legs," she mumbled.

He realized he was losing the feeling in his as well. But he did his best to keep moving them, trying to keep his blood flowing so that it wouldn't freeze in his veins. His fingers were becoming increasingly stiff as well.

As they laid together, time seemed to slow. The cries of the people in the waters around them becoming more and more distant. He closed his eyes and laid his head on top of Melinda's, trying to conjure up images of her that kept him warm. Like the first time, he'd seen her laugh that day in the library when he'd told her an on the whim joke. Or watching her smile as they danced on the Titanic, the way her lips melted against his when he kissed her, the heat between their bodies as they made love

He became lost in the images and even though he could feel the warmth seep into his body. His thoughts became a reality as the horrific one surrounding him faded away. He was somewhere in between daydreaming and sleeping when he felt cold fingers tap his cheek lightly.

James groggily opened his eyes, finding it increasingly difficult to do so because of the frost now clinging to his lashes, and saw Melinda staring at him, piercing him with her gaze. "My love, you need to stay awake," she said weakly. Her throat was too frozen to speak louder. "Don't fall asleep."

Too weak to respond, he kept his eyes locked on her face. Her lips had turned blue and frost clung to her eyebrows, lashes, and the ends of her hair. He even had noticed she wasn't shivering anymore and realized he wasn't either.

Their bodies had gone numb. It wouldn't be much longer now… "M-m-Melinda," he struggled to say the only name that had ever given him happiness. "I love you. So much." His words came out short and clipped.

She smiled at him and gathered the rest of her energy to reply, "I-I l-love you too."

Too weak to say anything more, James' eyes were the only part of him that registered he heard her. She saw a look of love pass through them and then resignation as if he could die now knowing that he had told her that loved her one last time.

Her heart clenched. She tried to keep her eyes open and fixed on Jim's eyes, but as time continued to pass, he lost the strength and the will to keep them open.

They both did.

James both knew their bodies would eventually succumb to the cold. They would just be another fatality of the Titanic, lost with all of the other souls who went down with the ship. He became lost in a dream world again, submerging himself in the warm memories of his wife and her kid sister as he laid on top of the salvaged wood in the middle of the Atlantic.

* * *

All of the people on and near Katherine and Ned's lifeboat silently watched, mouths gaping, as the stern of the Titanic was swallowed by the sea. The thought of it plunging toward the ocean floor, thousands of feet below them, made Katherine shiver.

Had her sister and James still been on the ship? Or were they now floating in the water the hundreds of other people?

As the screams of the people struggling to swim in the distance drifted over the waters and reached her ears, the panic she had been trying to push back finally overwhelmed her.

What if Melinda was dead? What if James was dead? What if she was now the only person left in her family in this world? What if no other ships found them and they remained in these lifeboats for days, shivering, and slowly withering away to nothing, surrounded by floating corpses?

The irony of that scenario was not lost on her. Those who had managed to get on a lifeboat could meet a disastrous end just as those who hadn't. Their deaths would just be drawn out. She began to debate which death was more preferable when she suddenly felt Ned's hand on her face.

She must have been breathing rapidly because she realized her heart was racing. She slowly lifted her gaze to meet his.

"Are you alright?" He asked, wrapping his arm around her waist.

How could she be?

She looked into his eyes which were so full of fear and sorrow that she nearly broke down and wept, but she maintained her composure and whispered, "Ned…what if they're dead? My sister… and James..."

She saw tears gather in his eyes as he looked out to the mass of floating people. "What if they're not?" he said so quietly she wasn't sure if she had heard him correctly. "What if they're still out there? Alive?" His voice became urgent as he gripped her hand and turned to look at her.

She stared at him for a moment, managing to push back the panic that had momentarily overwhelmed her. "We have to look for them," she said firmly. "If there's even a chance they are alive… if anyone is still alive."

Ned nodded vigorously and then slowly pressed his lips against her cheek. "I promise to try and do something." He carefully stood up on the lifeboat and turned to face the few crew members and others who shared it with them. "We have to look for survivors," He called out. "We have plenty of room. We could save more lives!"

When he got no response except for some whimpering and sniffing, Katherine stood up next to him. She slowly grabbed hold of his hand and saw as he looked over at him. "People are dying out there!" she yelled. "Your husbands, your sons, your brothers! We need to help those we can!"

"They'll swamp us," a woman stated.

Katie realized it was a woman on the other lifeboat – none other than Ned's mother. The rage she felt towards her at that moment nearly caused her to leap to the other lifeboat and strangle her right there. "Your son could still be out there if he hadn't gotten lucky!" She screamed at her. "My family is out there. Don't you even care about anyone out there?!"

"Why would I care about any of them," Ned's mother said bitterly. "You probably won't find your family even if they are still alive out there. The others will just swamp the boat. Why should we risk our lives?"

"What if we could save someone?" He yelled at all the boat surrounding them. "We need to help them!"

Instead of wasting any more time arguing with his selfish mother, he directed his attention to the women of his boat. Most of them wouldn't meet his eyes.

Suddenly the lone male crew worker said quietly, "You're right." She stared at him in disbelief. Would he really go search for survivors? "We have to go back. It's what the Captain would've wanted us to do."

"I will come with and help," Ned said, shaking the man's hand. "I'm Ned."

There was hope knocking on the door of Katherine's heart, but her heart was too afraid to let it in. Before she could say anything, the crew member spoke loudly so the other crew worker of the other lifeboat could hear him, "Row your boat closer to us. We need to get these women to need to get on your lifeboat so we have room for survivors."

The man obeyed wordlessly as the women around them began to talk in hushed whispers. Whether they were afraid, angry, surprised, or all of the above, she couldn't tell, but she didn't care. All she knew was she just wanted to find her sister, alive.

Melinda looked at Ned who met her gaze. She saw hope fighting to come back in his eyes as well. It took much longer than it should have for all of the women to board the other lifeboat, terrified as they were of slipping into the icy water. She was becoming impatient and could hardly sit still. Finally, Ned helped Katherine over into the other lifeboat reluctantly.

"Ned, I want to come with." She said as she placed her foot inside the other lifeboat slowly. "What if you can't recognize them without me?"

"I insist you get into the other lifeboat," he said gently. "I remember what they look like Katherine. Just stay here where it's safe."

She sighed and nodded, squeezing his hand as she moved into the boat. She sat down with a huff and he didn't say anything else as the crew worker began to paddle toward the mass of people.

Ned settled into his seat and drew in a breath. He didn't know if he was ready for this. As they drew closer, he noticed that it had gotten very quiet. Dread clenched his heart.

Were they too late?

"Here," the crew worker said as he tossed a flashlight to Ned.

He quickly flicked it on and shone it on the unmoving people in the water before them, their life jackets kept them afloat. He swallowed back bile as he took in their faces.

Pale faces, blue lips, frost in their hair, some even with eyes open, unseeing.

The people were mostly a mixture of upperclassmen dressed in suits, and lower-class passengers. He saw smaller figures floating in the water and avoided looking at them too closely, knowing they were children. He didn't think his already fragile mental state could handle that.

As the crew member began to row into the midst of the floating corpses and debris, the worker had to paddle carefully to avoid them with the oars.

Ned stood up, shining his flashlight around. He called out, "Melinda! James!" His cry rang out in the night, shattering the eerie silence. "Anyone alive out there?" The only response was the echo that resounded off of the black waters.

But they continued rowing, floating through the corpses. His eyes searched for their faces, but with the frost, it was hard to tell.

The other crew member cried out with Ned as they moved the light over the faces of those around them. He didn't know how much time had passed, but the hope that had been trying to make its way in the heart wasn't even knocking anymore.

They had only found a single passenger that was still alive. The chances of finding Melinda and James, let alone finding them alive, were becoming and slimmer. They might not even be out here. They might have still been on the ship…

"We waited too long," he heard the crew worker mumble gravely.

Ned still mindlessly shone the flashlight about, tears blurring his vision. He focused, breathing in slowly and searched those around him. That's when he saw them, huddled together on a makeshift raft like the one they'd talked about building if they couldn't get onto a lifeboat.

James, that genius might've saved their lives.

He suddenly yelled out, "There!" He blinked back the tears and shone the flashlight in the direction he was pointing. His heart caught in his throat as he realized that the piece of wood they were lying on was covered in frost. Both of their hair, eyebrows, and lashes were coated in ice, their lips were blue, and hands as white as the ice that clung to each other.

"Hurry!" He practically screamed at the crew worker as he rowed his way over to them.

When they were finally close enough to reach the makeshift raft, Ned and the other crew member leaned over the side of the lifeboat to pull them up. Ned grabbed either side of Melinda's life jacket and pulled as hard as he could until she slid into the boat.

He placed his hand over her face, feeling a soft breathing coming from her mouth. She was alive. Barely, but alive. Her head lolled forward as he wrapped two warm blankets around her and the other crew member pulled James into the boat. He laid on the bottom of the lifeboat, unmoving, skin and white as ice.

He moved over to check on James, his fingers brushed his face which was so cold that his fingers seemed to freeze at the contact. He put his ear to James' mouth, listening for breath for several seconds, and then placed his fingers on the side of his neck.

It took him a moment before he was able to feel a faint pulse.

"He's alive," he said in disbelief as he quickly grabbed blankets to wrap them around him.

"Keep looking for more people," he urged.

They each silently nodded and picked up the flashlight that he had carelessly dropped once he had found the people he was looking for.

They were alive.

* * *

It wasn't much longer, but they didn't find any other survivors floating in the water. He could tell that the crew workers were both getting tired from rowing and made their way back toward the other.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Melinda and James' breathing became slightly louder. "Wake up," he said to each of them, keeping them wrapped up their blankets. "Please wake up."

Suddenly, he heard what sounded like a ship horn in the distance. "What is that?" he asked the crew worker, seeing he was sitting in the lifeboat, staring straight ahead.

"A ship!" the crew worker cried. "We're saved!"

He sat up a little to see the ship, being careful not to jostle the boat too much. He could see the ship's lights in the distance, a beam of light that pierced the dark terrors of this night. Finally, the hope that had been knocking on his heart earlier.

When the ship finally stopped a short distance away, the crew worker began rowing their lifeboat towards it. Other lifeboats were doing the same, like moths to a flame. Except it was bringing life and saving them all from death. After they had boarded the rescue ship – which he learned was named the Carpathia – some of its crew workers took James and Melinda and the other survivor they'd pulled from the water to the doctor on board.

Ned had wanted to go with, but he knew it would be better to find Katherine first and tell her the good news. He was directed toward a crew member meant to take first-class passenger names, but he went down to the lower deck. He longer wanted to be a part of that society.

"Sir, you most likely will not find anyone you know down here." A crew member said as he came jogging down the stairs.

He counted almost three hundred people surrounded throughout the deck and searched through every face until he found the one he loved.

"Ned!" She gasped, wrapping her arms around him. "Oh, Ned… did you find them?"

He pulled back to smile at her. "I found them," he whispered. "Alive."

"Where are they?" She asked, looking past him.

"They were pretty frozen when we found them. If we hadn't gone when we did…" He trailed off, not wanting to think of what could have happened. "But they're alive. They just haven't woken up yet."

She nodded slowly, squeezing his hands. "Can I see them?" She asked.

Despite the crew's protests, Katherine went to see them. She watched protectively as the doctor's and crew members carefully removed each of their frozen clothes and buried them under several thick wool blankets.

Once they had left, and Katherine was alone with her sister, she laid with her, wishing to wake her up with her head.

Time passed slowly as she watched Melinda, anticipating the moment she would open her eyes. Even though she wasn't opening her eyes yet, she felt immense relief upon seeing that the ice had finally melted from her hair, her lips had returned to their normal color, and her chest had begun to rise and fall steadily as she drew deeper breaths.

James had begun to look better too. He'd even moved his hand when the doctor came to check on them once, bringing a warm rag with him to wipe the blood from Melinda's face and lay on each of their foreheads.

She silently watched as he did this, her eyes never leaving her sister's face. When they had been alone again for some time, the horrors of the night finally began drifting into her thoughts. Things could've gone so much worse. She could've lost both of them.

She began crying quietly, hot salty tears streaming down her face. She wept for Daniel and Henry. She hadn't seen them among the few men who had gotten safe passage on the lifeboats. Annie could be among the many on the steerage deck. She wept for her sister and James, who nearly died. For all of those who had frozen to death, floating in the water, hoping in vain that those in the lifeboats would come back for them. And for those who had remained on the ship as it sank, now buried at the bottom of the ocean.

She wondered if Daniel, Annie, or Henry had survived, but began to accept that they probably hadn't. She wept for them too. She exhausted herself by crying. After her tears had run dry, the warmth of the cabin began beckoning to her, her eyes closed.

She tried to keep her eyes open, wanting to be awake when either James or her sister opened their eyes, but finally, she laid her head down on the bed and quickly fell asleep. She was awoken sometime later when she felt something moving in her hair.

Her eyes shot open as she realized it was Melinda's hand moving through her hair, her eyelashes were fluttering slightly, as if she were trying to open her eyes. As her hand fell from her hand to her hand, her fingers continued twitching in her palm.

"Melinda?" She said quietly, reaching up with her other hand to brush her hair out of her face gently. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she felt all of her worries leave. "You're awake…"

Katherine could tell the moment Melinda recognized her as her eyes locked on hers, half-open as they were. "Is this a dream?" she croaked out so quietly she barely heard her.

She made a noise that sounded like a sob and a laugh at the same time before she kissed her hand and replied, "No, Mel. This is real. I'm here. I'm alive. You're alive." Tears leaked down her cheeks and she saw worry flicker in his eyes. "I was so scared, Melinda..." She began to cry against her palm. "I thought you were dead."

A look of longing passed her face as she realized she was too weak to move and could barely talk. "Is James…"

"He was with you. Ned made sure to find both of you," she explained and turned around to glance at James, who was still wrapped in wool blankets and sleeping. Melinda nodded. "He hasn't woken up yet, but he's alive." Seeing the relief flood her sister's eyes, she leaned toward her and planted a warm kiss on her forehead.

After Katherine moved away from her side, her sister's eyes glanced around the room. "Where are we?" Melinda whispered.

"On the Carpathia. Another ship," she explained. "They rescued us."

"I don't know if I'm ready for another ship," Melinda replied, quirking the side of her mouth up in a slight smile.

"Me either," she chuckled, sitting down in the chair next to the bed. "But it was better than floating for who knows how long in a lifeboat." She yawned leaning back, happy to see her sister awake.

"Have you slept at all?" Melinda asked, glancing over at James, wishing he had woken up already. She wished to see he was alright. Just to be sure. "Where's Ned?"

"He was here earlier," she shrugged. "I'm not sure. He must've left when I fell asleep. It's been hard to sleep with so much worry for you, sister."

"Well now that I am awake you should go to Ned," Melinda smiled, squeezing her hand. "You have the rest of your life to check on me, okay?"

Katherine was hesitant, but she knew Melinda was right. "Only because you say so," she whispered, smiling at her. "I'll be back in the morning."

* * *

Ned was sitting among the steerage passengers when dinner was brought out. It was only an orange and a slice of meat, all the Carpathia could spare for the survivors until they made landfall in two days.

He hadn't seen his mother or any one of the first class for that matter. Claire had disappeared since he'd last seen her with Katherine on the lifeboat before he went out to find James, Melinda and other survivors in the water.

He pulled apart the orange as he looked up to see Katherine walking toward him. That only meant one thing. Melinda had woken up. She would've never left her side before.

He stood up, and she ran to him, meeting him with a warm kiss on the lips. "Well, hello to you too," he grinned, their lips smacking against each other. "How are James and Melinda?"

"My sister is awake," she whispered, beaming with him. "She told me to come to see you…"

"I like your sister," he nodded, chuckling as he shared a piece of orange with her. "And James?"

"He hasn't woken," she said. "Melinda wished to be with him… alone."

"Understandable," he said. "We should go find our room."

"Our room?" She asked.

"Yes," he nodded, tossing the last bit of fruit in his mouth. "I told the crew worker who took my name I would need one for me and my wife."

"Your wife?" She looked up at him, touching his face.

"That's if you'll be my wife," he said softly, shrugging. "I'm not rich anymore."

"I'll marry you, even if you're not rich anymore, Ned Banks." She said as she watched him lean down and quickly claim her lips in a kiss.


	13. On the Carpathia and New York City

_**April 16th, 1912 - 2:00 am**_

Katherine awoke sometime later with a start, sitting straight up in the small bed. Ned, who had crawled into the bed next to her, jumped awake. She looked around the room, trying to reorient herself, as the remains of her nightmare slipped away.

She wasn't on the Titanic. She had to remind herself of that. She wasn't going to die.

The bed creaked and she felt Ned turn in his sleep.

SHe had to be quiet. He needed his sleep. She did too. She closed her eyes again, but it was only a matter of time before she woke again. Her heart rate was beating faster than before, buy this time she couldn't catch her breath.

"Katherine, are you alright?" Ned asked sleepily as he raised his head from the pillow. He was gently rubbing her back as she rested on her side and put her head in her hands, trying to catch her breath.

"Just a bad dream," she whispered.

She felt him plant a small kiss on her shoulder and then his arms wrapped around her waist. "It's alright. You are here with me. You're safe."

"I know," she nodded, more tears rolling down her cheeks. Why couldn't she catch her breath then? "I know."

"Listen to my words, breathe in and out," he soothed, his hands running up and down her side. "In and out."

Just as her heart began to slow to its normal rate, Katherine suddenly felt the sway of the ocean. She was on another ship. Her heart rate shot back up and she began to hyperventilate. Her nightmare was becoming reality again.

She was back on the Titanic.

It was sinking. People were screaming. People were dying. She was going to die. Everyone she loved was going to die.

She could vaguely hear Ned calling to her, but she was breathing so fast that she couldn't seem to get a proper breath. The last thing she remembered was hearing Ned call out before she collapsed back on the bed.

* * *

When Katherine awoke once again, she was in a different place. She could hear coughing and quiet talking. She slowly opened her eyes. A sterile smell hit her nose and made her grimace slightly noticed other men and women were lying on beds next to her and across from her. Some had sheets drawn around them and some didn't.

She was in a hospital. She was on solid ground. She was in New York City, at least she assumed she was.

A nurse suddenly walked over to her. She was wearing a long white dress, customary for nurses, and a white cap on top of her perfectly styled hair. Seeing her awake, she said cheerfully, "Well, finally, sleepyhead! We were getting worried about you!"

Confused, Katherine didn't respond. The nurse didn't seem to notice because she walked away.

Katherine was wearing a thin white gown, and was quickly beginning to realize that the sheets weren't doing much to keep her warm. She fought back the memories of waiting in the cold darkness when Ned suddenly strode into view, pulling back the green curtain.

She felt her heart leap at the sight of him, but then it sank when she saw his face. He had obviously been crying. "Ned," she began, reaching for him instinctively but wasn't sure if she could get up. "What's wrong?"

"I was so worried about you," he replied quietly. "You wouldn't wake up. It's been days. I didn't know what to do."

She held her arm out to him, wanting to comfort him but unable to go to him. Seeing her invitation, Ned closed the distance between them and sat on the bed to hold her.

"How is my sister?" She whispered.

"Better. She's up and walking now," he explained. "It's been two days. We're in New York. We docked this morning."

"Good," she whispered. "And James?"

"He's doing well. He only lost a finger because of the cold," he explained, pressing a kiss to her palm. "He is up and walking too. Would you like me to go fetch them?"

"Not yet," she felt him kiss her head and she snuggled against his chest. "That's good. Where are we?" she replied so quietly he could barely hear her. "Are we in New York?" She didn't move away from him.

Sensing her reluctance to leave him, he said, "I'll be here, Katherine. I'm not going anywhere. Yes, we are in New Yor City." He nudged her to sit up so he could too, and looked into her eyes and gave her a tender kiss. After their lips parted, he rose from the bed and said, "I'll be back soon, my love."

He walked away.

She remained on the bed, contemplating the ceiling tiles and losing track of time until the nurse from earlier came back in.

"Glad to see you're still awake," the nurse remarked with a bright smile that nearly blinded me. "I'm Elizabeth. I've been looking after you."

That was her mother's name. "Katherine," she replied as she genuinely smiled back the best she could considering.

"I know," the nurse nodded. "Do you need anything, sugar?" She shook her head. The nurse went about to check her temperature and examined her to make sure she was recovering. "You really gave that man with you a scare. He wouldn't leave your side."

"Oh, Ned?" She asked. "After everything, we love each other very much."

The nurse nodded. "You passed out when you were still in bed. The doctors think you had a panic attack." She lowered her eyes, feeling weak and guilty over scaring Ned. The nurse continued, "Of course, I can't blame you. If I had not only witnessed but had been a part of such a horrific tragedy, I would have a panic attack too."

She sighed and slowly nodded her head. She supposed the nurse had a point. When the Titanic sank, she didn't know if she'd ever feel okay again. If she'd ever have a night's sleep where she didn't hear those screams in the distance.

She smiled when Ned returned, having brought Melinda and James with him. They both looked a bit weak, but were up and walking.

"Oh, Katherine, you're alright. I'm so happy you're alright," Melinda gasped when she saw her little sister and rushed to sit beside her. "Don't worry, sweetheart. You just needed your rest. Everything was just catching up with you..."

She smiled her bright smile again. Melinda was always trying to make her feel better, especially when she was younger. "I know," she whispered. "I'm glad you're better." She looked past her, seeing James was talking to Ned. "And you too."

James smiled at her then. "Glad you're alright too, kid," he said, winking at her.

* * *

Katherine must have fallen asleep again because she woke up sometime later. The room was empty except for Ned, who was caressing her cheek. At least she assumed it was him. She smiled before she even opened her eyes. "That feels nice," she whispered. She opened her eyes and saw Ned was sitting beside her, smiling gently back at her. "Hi."

"Hi," he whispered, his hand draping over her cheek.

He must have seen the love she felt for him in her eyes because he leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. When he tried to pull away, her hand wound around to the back of his neck, holding him closely so that they wouldn't break the kiss just yet. A surprised moan escaped her lips and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. She felt his body relax into her as his tongue began to dance with hers.

Suddenly someone coughed behind them, and they separated quickly.

Ned jumped back and settled back into his chair, while Katherine put her hand over her mouth, effectively hiding her surely swollen lips, but not hiding the flush that crept onto her face. She watched as Ned raised his knees to hide the state of excitement their kiss left him in as Katherine met the nurse's stare. The nurse was blushing too, Katherine realized and she smiled proudly. She felt so lucky to be alive and to still have Ned with her that this wasn't even going to come close to dampening her mood.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I've come to discharge you, Katherine. Doctor's orders!" The nurse explained cheerfully. "I'll just need you to sign here." She felt relief that she no longer had to stay in the hospital wing, but the worry over where she would go was now an even greater issue. Would she be going to live with Melinda and James? Or would she and Ned find somewhere together? "I've brought some clothes for you. Your sister brought them for you," the nurse said as she placed them on the end of the bed. "I'll leave you two to get ready to leave."

After she had walked away she looked at Ned. "How are you?" She asked. "In all of this, I haven't had a chance to ask you that."

"Better," he replied, looking up at her. "I'm sleeping through the night. No nightmares last night." He reached for her hand and laced his fingers with hers. She smiled softly at him as he tenderly kissed the back of her hand.

"Will you…will you help me get dressed?" She asked sheepishly, darting her eyes to the clothes on the end of the bed.

Ned followed her gaze to the clothes and nodded as he stood up to gather the clothes the nurse had left for me. "Of course," he said.

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and Ned pulled the chemise out for her. He brought it to her and moved her legs into it and pulled it up to her waist before helping her ease the hospital gown over her head. When his eyes glanced to her breasts for the few moments they were bare to him, he realized it was the first time he'd seen her like this since their time together on the Titanic. He brought the dress over next and helped her stand and into it, pulling the laces up a little looser than usual, not wanting to.

When he helped her stand, she hugged him. His arms slowly wrapped around her, enclosing her with warmth as he cleared his throat. "Katherine, can I tell you something?"

"Of course," she whispered, turning in to kiss his throat.

"I'm…I'm worried about you," he replied quietly. "That panic attack you had on the Carpathia really scared me." Noticing he had tears in his eyes, she cupped his cheeks.

She gently took his hand and guided him to sit next to her on the bed again. He held her hand between both of his as he replied, "I'm so sorry, Ned. I did not mean to scare you and I do not mean to scare you now, but…but the nurse said I may still get panic attacks like that sometimes." She paused as she took in a deep breath. "But I think I know what triggered it." He looked at her expectantly, waiting for an answer from her. "I was having a nightmare and…and then when I felt the Carpathia moving…" She trailed off, feeling shame at her weakness. "I thought I was on the Titanic again."

He caressed her cheek. "Oh Katherine, it's alright. I'm going to help you get through this. We'll recover together."

She looked up at her hopefully. "You…so you'll stay with me?"

"I believe you were the one who asked me to stay with you," he replied, a sly smile playing at the edges of his mouth.

She smiled and replied, "I know." She felt that she could overcome anything as long as she knew Ned would be with her. But when she watched his smiled fall, her brows knotted with concern. "What is it?" she asked. "You can tell me."

"I…I don't have anything, Katherine. Nowhere to go. No money. Nothing to offer you." He stuttered. He could hardly hold his eyes with hers. "You deserve better..."

She looked at him for a moment and he saw something flicker in her eyes. And it wasn't worry.

He helped her to her feet, keeping her steady, as she asked, "What about your family's money?"

"Well, my mother –" He sighed, shaking his head.

She interrupted him, "Your mother isn't in control of you anymore." She stared at him intently. "You've seen her haven't you?"

He waited a long moment before he finally nodded. "I saw her on one of the decks when were leaving the ship, Carpathia," he said quietly. "I haven't since then."

Just then, as if the evil woman somehow knew they were talking about her, his mother stormed into the room. "I knew I would find you here. I heard they were bringing any injured survivors here."

Katherine watched as Ned held out his other hand to her. She took his outstretched hand, and finally, Mrs. Banks's eyes landed on her. Her facial expression took on a look of gratitude almost, but she saw the disdain flickering in her eyes.

Ned must have noticed because his expression changed. "You still hate her? After everything?" He asked in angered disbelief.

"Just because a tragedy occured you doesn't mean you have to ruin your life by being with her," his mother replied scornfully.

Katherine guessed she shouldn't have been surprised by her response, but the selfishness of this woman stunned her.

Ned walked with her toward the door. "Mother, we're done with this. I don't care what you say or do, I love Katherine and nothing will change that," he replied surprisingly calmly, as if he had finally resolved all of the thoughts about his mother in his mind.

"I could still have her arrested, you know!" his mother countered.

"By whom?" Ned asked, his anger clearly rising. He stormed up to her and Katherine waited for him by the door. "All of the crew workers who would have been your witnesses are dead!" This seemed to take his mother aback. Mrs. Banks stood there, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we were just leaving," he said firmly.

"Where will you go?" His mother called after them as they began to walk away.

"I'll figure something out. I have enough money to figure things out for now," Ned responded as he glanced over at Katherine and smiled.

Her heart melted as his green eyes locked on hers, portraying so much hope and love, that any worry she had about her future – their future – had completely dissipated. In that moment, she felt a peace and joy that she hadn't known since her parents were still alive. It had been so long since she experienced those feelings that she had forgotten what they felt like. Images of a safe, secure, and happy future flooded her mind. All including Ned.

She saw them getting married – something she had not given much thought to before. They would have children and grow old together. She imagined falling asleep in his arms every night and waking up next to him every morning.

"If we can survive the sinking of the Titanic, we can survive anything," she said cheerfully.

He nodded in agreement, pressing a kiss to her forehead as they walked out of the hospital room together.


	14. Epilogue

**A/N: Every story has to come to an end... This story has been wonderful! I have loved every bit and how it's challenged me. I hope you enjoy the ending :) xx Mariah**

* * *

Every day that passed after the sinking of the Titanic, the world heard news of another passenger that was found floating in the sea.

Katherine waited to hear about Daniel, Annie, and Henry but never heard anything about them again. She had mixed feelings about hearing the names of the passengers they did find. A part of her wanted to shut out any and all news of the tragedy, trying to forget the horrible memory of that night.

But another part of her felt that she needed to know who they were. She needed to know the names of the people that could have taken her place on the lifeboat.

Why should she have lived when they did not? How was it fair that she survived and they did not?

Ned always told her that they shouldn't think like that. That it only brought on undeserved guilt. He would always remind her that they couldn't change what happened and that they should try to be thankful that both them of survived and were able to get married.

He was right about that. It had been the most perfect year of her life.

Katie and Ned had managed to find a small apartment in New York City. Well, an apartment was a glamorous word, it was really just one big room with a bed, a kitchen, a table, a dresser and another room with a toilet, mirror and a bathtub.

It wasn't glamorous any means, but they were just trying to put the pieces of their lives back together. Even though living in a small apartment wasn't ideal, she found that it became endearing. Living close quarters with Ned, she was getting to know every little detail about him. Even the annoying ones, like how he always double-knotted his shoelaces and absolutely had to sleep with the windows open.

Katherine only fell more in love with him every single day.

Ned struggled to find a job, so he stayed home and made sure the apartment was clean, or he would go out and run whatever errands were necessary. Supper was always ready her when she got home from taking care of the children of a wealthier couple in Queens.

Katherine was thrilled to learn that he could cook. She knew he could bake, his father had owned a bakery in England up until his death.

It was as if they were finally letting the tragedies and horrors of their past and grasping their future. One night after they got married, Katherine came home from work to find that Ned had made all kinds of bread, which were strewn about the small kitchen.

"So I guess we are having bread for dinner?" She asked jokingly, wrapping her arms around him.

He was startled and she immediately regretted sneaking up on him, but then he chuckled. "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in." He looked up and kissed her cheek as he continued to knead the dough he was currently working on.

"So bread?" She asked, smiling as she moved to the side of him.

"Well…I was thinking," he began slowly but then stopped.

"Thinking what?" She encouraged him to continue.

"What if we opened a bakery?" He sounded like a small child when he asked that as if he were expecting her to say no.

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Ned," she replied happily.

He looked up to face her, wiping his hands off. "Really?" He smiled.

She nodded and took hold of his hands once he put the towel down. "You have always wanted to honor the memory of your father and I think opening a bakery is the perfect way to do that." She said happily.

The grin that spread itself on his face was so wide she thought it would split his face. He smacked a loud kiss on her lips before he said, "Thank you, Katherine. Thank you."

She laughed. "You don't have to thank me, sweetheart. This will be good for both of us." He nodded, still looking happy, but he sighed. "What's wrong? Are you overthinking again?"

"No," he sighed. "Now I just have to convince the bank to agree with me too."

* * *

It was only a matter of time before Katherine knew she was being a hypocrite. She'd gotten off easy with a seat on a lifeboat – she knew her sister and James had gone through more that night.

It took Melinda a year and six months after that terrible night to tell Katherine what happened after she and Ned boarded the lifeboat and James and she remained on the Titanic. She had never pried, knowing that her older sister would tell her about the horrors she experienced when she was ready.

When she finally did tell her, Melinda remained surprisingly calm but had to pause several times to maintain her composure. Especially when she talked about the little boy whom she'd found and lost.

In the end, after they both had cried all of their tears, Melinda looked up at her with a smile. "I did come to talk to you for a better reason than this," Melinda whispered softly, wiping her tears away.

"Anything is better than talking about this," she shook her head at her sister. "But what is it?"

"James and I are having a baby," Melinda said excitedly, smiling at her sister. "I found out just a few days ago."

"That's wonderful! We must celebrate soon," she cheered. "I cannot wait to tell Ned of this news! How wonderful… and just in time. You won't be too far along in the summer."

"I know. I've been blessed," Melinda chuckled. "James is so excited, even if he has to work a few extra ships down at the docks. How are things going with Ned? Is the bank going to give him the loan?"

Katherine sighed. "I'm not sure." She shrugged. "He said they liked him and his odds. I really hope he can open the bakery. It would be another wonderful thing." The door to the apartment opened and she stood, seeing that Ned walked inside. "Hi, how did it go?"

Ned's face broke out into a grin. "We got it," he nodded.

"Really?" She surprised herself at her excitement, but Ned seemed enamored with it and he wrapped his arms around her. "We did?"

"Yes. We can open the bakery," he suddenly reached up and caressed her cheek. "I feel like I could shout from the rooftops right now."

"And that's why I tell you to keep positive. I told you we would," she said softly, smiling up at him.

He leaned down and gave her a full, warm kiss. It was as if all of the guilt and horrible memories that had ever happened to them dissipated in that kiss. She pulled back and tapped his cheek. "My sister has even better news," she said.

"I don't think it's quite as good as his news," Melinda blushed, standing up. "I should be going. James should be off soon."

"Well, what news?" Ned asked, smiling at her sister.

"James and Melinda are having a child! Isn't that wonderful?" Katherine exclaimed, side hugging her sister.

"That is wonderful news," Ned beamed, hugging Melinda. "Be sure to tell James my congrats. We will have to celebrate sometime soon."

"Of course," Melinda hugged him. "We are just across the hall. You two come over for dinner, alright?"

"Sounds likes a wonderful idea," he said, leading her to the door. "Around six?"

"Jim will be home soon, so six should be enough time." Melinda nodded and walked across the hall to her apartment.

Once Ned closed the door, they kissed. There was hardly a day when they weren't intimate. Their kiss quickly became full of heat, passion, and desperation. Ned brought her to the bed made love to her slow and steady, and with so much love and tenderness that she couldn't imagine a world without him.

The gratitude she felt for him and how he'd taken care of her this last year and a half overwhelmed her and tears leaked down her cheeks as Ned laid on her breasts, catching his breath after his release.

He must have heard her sniffle because he lifted his head and looked up at her. "Sweetheart, what is it?" he asked, running his thumbs gently along her cheeks to catch her tears.

"I'm so grateful for you," she blurted out. "And what we share together… I think we should start a family. Hearing Melinda's news just made me think we should have a baby too."

His eyes widened. "Really?"

She took a deep breath and repeated herself, "Yes."

He stared at her, his mouth hanging open. He didn't respond for so long that she began to panic, thinking that he would say no or that he wasn't alright. Suddenly he broke out into a huge grin. "I supposed now that we'll have a bakery we'll need children to help us run it."

"So you will?" She asked, still feeling anxious.

He laughed. "Of course, Katherine. I want everything with you." He kissed her deeply. "Yes." They both giggled as they peppered each other's faces with kisses. "What made you ask me that?" he asked after a moment.

"I was just thinking…I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't survived that night, Ned." She held his face lightly in her hands. "I can't imagine what would've happened if life without you. And I don't want to waste any more time. I want to have a family and build a life with you. I want you by my side every day for the rest of my life."

He looked at her with such adoration and love that Katherine thought her heart might burst from her chest. When he kissed her again, the passion led them to the bed, where he laid her down, and they hoped they would make a child.

That next day, Ned began to develop plans for his bakery. He hired the right people and they built the perfect building with a big enough apartment above it for them and a future family to live in. It took a little over a year for everything to be done, but it was well worth the time and money.

The bakery thrived with Ned's variety of excellent cakes, loaves of bread, and other pastries. Everyone had heard of the Banks' Bakery and its fantastic reputation, so they never failed to have customers. Even when the stock market crashed later, they continued to thrive. People still needed bread, and Ned probably donated more than he should have, but they managed.

The bakery was so dear to their hearts, that their children were able to grow up there. They had two of them. A boy and a girl.

Katherine always thought having children would scare her, but she was so happy and safe and secure in her life that she had built with Ned, even after the tragedies they had endured, she couldn't wait to meet the first child that grew inside her. It was only a few months after Melinda had told them that she was pregnant when Katherine thought she might be with child. When she had told Ned, he was sure his smile shone brighter than the sun. He had picked her up and swung her around and wouldn't stop kissing her.

Their first child, a daughter, was born just after the bakery opened. He was thrilled that their daughter, Alice, had more of her looks than his. Dark hair and olive skin. But her eyes were startlingly green like her father's. And as Alice got older, they found that she had more of Ned's mannerisms than mine. She was gentle, kind-hearted, and quick to smile. She followed her father around everywhere and wanted him to teach her to bake, which he gladly obliged.

Their second child, David, was born three years later. He possessed more of Ned's physical features. Blonde hair and fair skin. But he had his mother's brown eyes and all her qualities that accompanied them. He was fiery, contemplative, and stubborn. He was also enjoyed outdoors as Katherine did when she was young and even now, so she and her little boy have spent many days in quiet places in Central Park.

It was one Christmas night when Katherine, , ed and their family were settled in their home now that the bakery had closed and getting ready for a Christmas dinner. Katherine was in charge of dinner and Ned was in charge of dessert, as usual. Their children, who were eight and five, we're getting ready and playing with their new toys they'd gotten that morning.

Melinda, James and their children were coming over. They had three rambunctious boys, each were a year apart. John, Jacob, and Jack. Melinda had also recently found out they were going to have a fourth child, and while excited to meet their child not matter a boy or a girl she knew that her older sister was praying finally to have a little girl.

It wasn't long before there was a knock at the door. Katherine was just pulling dinner from the oven and so Ned wiped his hands clean and walked to the door. He was happy to see James and Melinda. He wasn't able to really keep an eye on any of the children as all three of them came running in to find their cousins.

It was a beautiful family day. Melinda came into the kitchen as Ned helped Jim bring presents to put under the tree.

"Dinner is done," Katherine waved her sister off as she went to put her hair up and help her. "I don't need any help. Just go and enjoy the holiday with Jim and Ned and the children."

"Are you sure?" Melinda asked.

"Of course," she smiled and set the casserole on the counter before going to hug her. "It's so good to see you, my dear sister. How are things?"

"Wonderful. The boys are as rambunctious as ever, but that's nothing unusual." Melinda chuckled, smiling at her. "Jim and I are doing good. The baby is healthy and kicking up a storm. How about you?"

"How great to hear! I hope this new year will bring nothing but happiness to both of our families," she nodded. "The bakery is doing great. The holidays always bring good business. Alice is helping in the bakery with Ned and David and I are working on his reading."

Melinda smiled as they walked out to see Jim and Ned sitting amongst the children who were helping pass out presents while they waited for their mothers.

What a wonderful time after such a terrible tragedy. They had all done well and were happy with their lives, and that was all that mattered.


End file.
